Andy Returns
by chevvyp
Summary: Apologies, I didn't read the guidelines thoroughly enough. (See note below) My story picks up after 3.13 when Andy McNally returns from her undercover op. Please be forewarned, my stories are rated for adults. If you don't like, don't read. But please don't REPORT things un-neccessarily.
1. Chapter 1: Home

The car door slammed shut and Andy stood, staring at her apartment building for the first time in over 6 months. As the car pulled away from the curb she felt and intense longing for a hot bath and a strong drink. She couldn't remember if there had been any beer in the fridge when she left.

The past few months she'd been working towards taking out a very intricate drug and child prostitute ring, and she was glad that the work was over. She still had weeks of notes and testimony to go through and all of her trial prep (this would be her first) but the fact that she could sleep in her own bed made it feel like the worst was over.

She climbed the stairs slowly, taking her time to reach her door. She'd been away so long she didn't see the point in rushing. She anticipated there would be some cleaning to be done after 6 months of emptiness, she thanked god silently that she didn't have a pet. That would have made leaving that much messier. Pets, the thought made her think of Sam Swarek.

"Let's get a dog, call him Boo! Boo Radley. I've always liked that name for a dog."

She remembered his last plea before she left. The promises he threw out to her with his words, like a life line to save their relationship. She wanted to save it, she did. But she'd already given Sam everything she had left, so when she'd walked into Luke Callaghan's office that same morning and told him she was ready for Project Dakota, she couldn't back out when he asked her to be a part of the team that evening. Undercover was a privilege not often given to rookies. She couldn't just walk away from it. Not because Sam decided he loved her enough to get a dog. No, she had earned that spot. She'd worked hard to redeem herself after her suspension and if anyone could understand that, it should be Sam.

She couldn't help thinking to herself that if he'd meant what he said the night she left, that he would feel the same when she returned. How did Traci put it? Oh—"what's meant to be will be." She had to have faith in that, otherwise missing Sam for 6 months and holding onto their relationship in the darkest corner of her heart would have been for nothing.

After what felt like eternity she reached her front door. She felt like a stranger suddenly, like she wasn't invited, although this apartment was the place she's called home for over a year now. Unlocking her front door she stepped inside to find the place incredibly clean. Perplexed, she dropped her bag near the door and walked in the kitchen to see a note on the counter.

"Wasn't sure when you'd be home, cleaned up so you could rest. I've missed you – Mom"

Andy hadn't asked for the spare key back after her house warming party last year, especially after Sam broke things off shortly afterwards. What was the point? She didn't need the key herself, and if someone was going to have it, it ought to be Claire. She sighed, grateful she'd let it go. She had not been looking forward to cleaning 6 months' worth of dust off of her furniture.

Dropping onto her couch she tried not to think about what 2 weeks off the job meant. When Staff Sergeant Best explained the protocol to her she felt numb. No uniform until she had a mandatory visit to the UC Department's mandated shrink and another week just to read over all of her paper work and notes so she could pass along anything that may have been left out of her testimony that was taken directly after the bust. 2 weeks before she was back on the streets walking the beat. UC had been a great experience. She'd learned a lot about her boundaries as an officer and she was lucky she had Officer Collins. They made a great team and it was nice to have someone she trusted implicitly watching her back.

Regardless, 2 full weeks seemed like an eternity for her to resume feeling like herself again. She was still used to code names and drop locations and the small cramped apartment that she had shared with Nick.

"Time for that bath." She muttered out loud to herself. It felt strange having so much silence. Her UC apartment with Nick had had thin walls and noisy tenants. People playing music and kids shouting, she almost missed it until she pulled herself up to run the water in her two person soaker tub.

She was just about to sink in when her phone rang, startling her and almost making her tip over the side of the tub.

"McNally," she answered, probably too loud and stern for her normal self, but she was still used to responding to the name "Rachel" and knew it would take a while for her to break that down.

"Andy? It's Traci."

"Hey Trac! Oh my goodness, I'm so glad to hear your voice."

Andy hadn't seen any of her friends except Chris when she'd given her statement during her de briefing at Division 15. Frank Best had taken it all down while Luke sat idle in the corner, privy to all the knowledge that would be building the foundation for the case of his career.

She'd hugged Chris tight. He seemed so grown up now, being a father to Christian, but the weight of his decision to leave 15 was still plain on his face.

"It's nice to hear you too! I didn't get to see you yesterday, Swarek and I were working a double homicide down town."

There it was. Sam was still here.

"Oh? Big case? You must have enjoyed bossing Swarek around, Miss fully-fledged Detective!" Andy giggled into the receiver.

"Well, not exactly, Sam made Detective. He's been working a long side me and the rest of the d's for the past 4 months." Andy's voice caught in her throat. Detective? He'd never even mentioned he was interested in that…

"But that's not why I called," Traci continued, "I've missed you! When Chris told me he'd seen you, that you were back I mean, I couldn't believe you didn't call."

"It's not that I didn't want to Traci, I've literally just finished being debriefed late last night and only set foot in my apartment an hour ago. Trust me when I say, you were next on my to-do list."

"Damn straight." Traci laughed, "Would you be interested in going to The Penny tonight? It's Friday, so we're all heading over for beers after shift… say, 2 hours or so? I'm just finishing up my mountain of paperwork."

"I don't know… I just got into the bath and I may be hard pressed to move." Andy offered, but she couldn't deny that the thought of seeing her friends was very tempting in comparison to her very empty, very silent apartment.

"Well, I'd love to see you, and I know Dov and Gail... well, Dov would be happy to see you too."

"I'll think about it. You'll probably see me tonight." Andy replied before hanging up and sinking into her bath. 45 minutes later she was sitting in her robe, towel wrapped around her hair tight, flipping through 6 months' worth of mail. Her mom must have tossed the flyers.

Suddenly, a sharp rap on the door pulled her from her mail induced daze, forcing her to climb up off the couch and peer into her peep hole. Nick stood in her hallway, pacing and fidgeting with his hands.

She opened the door immediately.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" She laughed, stepping back and inviting him in.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd see if you were going to The Penny tonight? Dov invited me, but I haven't seen Gail yet and I was nervous to go if you weren't going."

He didn't have to explain. There was a part of her that was used to having him there to back her up, even if it was just with groceries at the shopping center. She had an odd love for Nick, like the brother she never had.

"Yeah, Traci invited me, I was thinking of going." Andy trailed off.

"Have you spoken to Sam?" Nick asked quietly, slightly avoiding her eyes. He knew the painful revelations that Traci and the rest of their friends didn't know. He knew that Sam had told her everything she'd ever wanted to hear, right when she had decided to leave.

"No." Andy couldn't stop staring at the floor, "I haven't spoken to him. I'm not really sure what I would say… if there is even anything to say anymore. 6 months is a long time, he may have moved on now." Andy's heart raced at the thought. She wished there had been a way to communicate to Sam while she was away, but she couldn't risk another issue like they'd had after their night at the Alpine. She'd already almost lost her job once.

"You don't want that to be the case Andy." Nick was looking right at her now, she could feel his stare burning into the top of her head, "You don't have to admit it to me, I can tell you miss him."

Nick wasn't wrong. She'd thought about Sam Swarek every day for the past 6 months, and she'd spent the previous 2 months longing for him to want to fix their relationship. A big part of her had hoped he would have been at the take down 2 nights ago, but if he had been there she couldn't make him out among the sea of officers that had stormed the warehouse in S.W.A.T gear. She had made out Sergeant Best and Detective Callaghan among the teams, but that had been the most she had seen before she had been whisked off by her contact into the black sedan to begin the debriefing process. She remembered the sense of relief. The bad guys were gone. She was going home.

"Andy?" Nick asked, pulling her out of her thoughts, "Do you want to go or not? I'll stay with you if you don't feel up to it."

"We should go." Andy answered, pulling her robe tighter around her body, "You should see Gail. Or at least try to see her." She chuckled. She knew Gail Peck wasn't going to be receptive or warm at the sight of Nick. She would be tough, but she'd come around.

"And you should at least see Sam," Nick continued, "Even if it's from across the room so you can gauge how he's going to react."

"You're right," Andy smiled, "Let me get dressed."

A half hour later she was drying the last of her hair and had put on her favorite jeans and a cute top she'd never had the chance to wear before going under cover. She noted that she was a bit thinner now, the stress of UC work had trimmed her down, and she'd been taking longer runs every day to force out the anxiety. Nick was patient in the living room. They'd spent so much time together like this that it seemed routine for him to wait for her.

"Ready." She called, zipping up her ankle boots.

"Me too, I think." He answered, fidgeting with his keys and forgetting she was watching.

"Nick, she will forgive you. She has to." Andy was trying to reassure him, but inside she wasn't so sure. Gail was a tough cookie and she knew this might be the straw to break the camel's back. But her hope was holding out for Nick, especially since his situation mirrored her own so closely. If it works out for them, maybe Sam will still hold some love for her, right?

The drive felt like eternity, but when they finally pulled into the stall near the back of the pub, they turned to each other, silently acknowledging both nervous and excited energy. It was time.

The Penny was crowded when Andy walked through the door with Nick following closely behind. She hadn't expected people to jump up and cheer at the sight of them, but when no one acknowledged their presence right away she started to get nervous.

"McNally?!"

The shout came from across the bar, where Oliver Shaw was sitting in a close group of senior officers. She waved silently, smiling awkwardly, hunching her shoulders. Then the eruption of cheers rolled through the pub as Dov and Chris rushed forward to hug Andy and pat Nick on the back. Oliver stood up from the corner and made his way over to the two officers, ordering shots for both as their friends closed in.

They were home.

As Andy made her way towards the usual table where Traci and Gail were sitting she tried to read Gail's body language. She was definitely closed off, but she wasn't out right cold. Traci nodded to her and Gail gave a weak smile as she sat down, sipping her drink and peeling the label with her perfect nails.

"Welcome back Andy." Gail offered, looking past Andy in Nick's direction.

"Thank you Gail." Andy replied, before sharply adding, "He missed you. You should go see him."

Gail's face turned ashen, "Or he could come see me. I'm the one who was left, remember?"

"Oh yeah, she was closed off," Andy couldn't help thinking to herself, he had work to do.

"Have you seen Swarek?" Traci asked quietly, looking over her shoulder towards the corner were Oliver had been sitting.

"No… is he here?" Andy suddenly became very aware of how anxious she was feeling-she double checked everything from how she was sitting, to the flow of her top-she even ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it.

"He's sitting over there with Noelle and Oliver." Traci glanced down, "He's been working really hard on his cases, keeping his head down, but, same ol' Sam."

"Is he… you know, is he seeing anyone?" Andy asked, afraid of the answer but needing to know.

"Well…" Traci paused, "He was seeing that ER nurse, Monica, for a few weeks," she continued, "but he hasn't mentioned her in, well, never really mentioned her… and she hasn't been by the station for a really long time."

"Good to know." Andy digests the information internally. She didn't expect Sam to sit around feeling sorry for himself or even pining for her, but she hadn't expected him to be with someone else either, even if it was only briefly.

"You're expression doesn't say that it's good Andy, did something happen?" Traci asked, sipping her beer nonchalantly, but Andy could tell she was very curious, even a bit worried.

"Well, he sort of confessed that he did love me... on the night I got recruited for Dakota. The night I left."

"On the night you left?!" Tracy nearly spit her beer on the table, "Oh Andy, you really haven't spoken to him?" Traci glanced over her shoulder towards Oliver and Noelle's table anxiously.

"What was I supposed to do? As soon as I agreed to go under cover I couldn't talk to anyone, I didn't even speak to my parents." Andy whispered hurriedly, "Besides, we both already almost lost our jobs over this very situation we're discussing. You think Sam would have appreciated that? What if we got caught up again?" Andy felt like crying, but couldn't let the tears slide, not here, not in public. "I still missed him Traci. I wish there would have been another way."

Traci sighed, "Would be smart to talk to him about it now, avoid the awkward moment of 'you broke my heart', in the precinct, you know?"

"Thanks Trac, always looking out." Andy chuckled; though she knows inside she is too afraid to see him tonight. She suddenly felt claustrophobic, like she can't breathe inside the tiny pub.

"I think I'm going to take off." Andy says as she stands up, almost knocking the remainder of her beer over.

"Leaving again so soon McNally?" said a voice from behind her. A voice she's waited 6 months to hear, a voice she had hoped to analyze for some insight into whether or not he had forgiven her, or moved on or maybe even hated her.

"Sam." She said as she turned, keeping her eyes on the ground until the last possible second, and when their eyes finally did meet it felt as though a bolt of lightning passed through her chest.

He was still handsome, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw. She could see some salt and pepper grey running through the sides of his hair, as if in the past few months he'd spent some time worrying about something… or someone. She noticed his chest seemed a touch larger, or maybe it was that he was leaner. Perhaps he was running longer every morning too. The thought made her pause, helped to put her nerves at ease.

"I just wanted to come over and tell you I'm glad you're back safe," he offered a slight smile, "I've been following your case and I heard you did a really fine job."

Following her case? He knew she was gone? She let the knowledge digest; make its way from her frantic brain to her satisfied heart to the pit of her stomach where it came to rest.

But really, what had she expected? Of course Sam would know the second she was gone and he wouldn't take 'I don't know' for an answer from anyone, not Luke or Sergeant Best.

"Thank you," Andy faltered, "I'm glad I'm back too."

"I guess I'll see you around." He offered, Andy couldn't believe how cool and calm he seemed, like it didn't bother him in the least that she had just returned from 6 months of zero contact undercover work.

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she came to the realization.

Sam Swarek didn't care that she'd been gone. He hadn't missed her in the least.

"Yeah, of course… See you around." Andy replied quietly, almost to herself more than anyone. As he turned and walked off in the direction of Oliver she noticed Luke sitting alone, nursing a whiskey. She was alone too now. She could only assume that Sam had moved on. There was no more analyzing to be done.

"You leaving?" Traci asked, looking at her knowingly.

"Yes, I'm outta here."

As Andy headed for the door, she caught Luke's eyes and he tipped his glass to her with a grim tight lipped smile. She nodded and resumed her exit. She could never forget what Luke did to her, but she could admire his dedication to the job, some of that dedication had saved her ass over the course of her UC experience.

Andy opted to walk home; the thought of cabs didn't amuse her ever since Jerry's death. Every time she set foot in the interior of a cab she could barely stand it.

She approached the stairs for the second time that day, and hoped that Nick was doing better with Gail than she did with Sam. She hadn't been able to find him before her quick exit, but Gail was also missing in action so she hoped this was a good sign. Her door was in sight and she couldn't believe the exhaustion that was setting in. She barely noticed the stranger standing a few feet down from her door in the shadows. If he had been an intruder or a hit man, this easily could have been a huge mistake on Andy's part.

Luckily, the shadow was Sam Swarek.

"Andy…" he whispered as he approached quietly, "Andy?"

"Sam?! Jesus, you scared me!" She cried out.

"Sorry, sorry." He muttered, "I didn't mean to alarm you," he pressed on, "I just… I'm sorry if I came off as a jerk at The Penny." He looked at his shoes, "I just didn't know how to say hello, and it's been so long."

"I understand," Andy stuttered, "I-I get it."

The both paused, staring at anything but each other in the dark hallway.

"Do… do you want to come in for a drink? Beer? Coffee?" Andy offered, slightly nervous he would reject her offer. But why would he come here if he didn't want to see her? To give her some lame apology for something he barely did?

"Sure, I could drink a beer." Sam stared at the floor… "Are you going to unlock the door or what McNally?" He chuckled, "Unless you got beer up that tiny shirt?"

Andy felt her face get hot, "Right!" She laughed back, unlocking the door and pushing it open. She dropped her jacket on the chair near the kitchen and hung her keys by the door. Sam was already opening the fridge and taking out two beers.

"Make yourself at home Sam," Andy jabbed, "I see nothing much has changed around here."

"Oh McNally, you have no idea." He smiled, leaning forward on the kitchen island and peering at her over the top of his beer.

"I heard you made Detective."

"Yeah, I joined the ranks of the boys in suits." Sam smiled, taking a swig of his beer, "You're not the only one who focused on their career these past 6 months."

Ouch. That one stung, though she felt a bit like she deserved the hit.

"Well, since you started the trend by breaking up with me to be a better cop, I assumed you would have approved of my decision." She fired back, laughing, but feeling the weight of their conversation hanging heavy in the room.

"About that…" he looked down at the counter for the hundredth time, "I-I wanted you to know that I meant what I said," he continued on, slowly, "I'm ready to work on that-with you."

Her heart fluttered at the words, she honestly couldn't believe her ears.

"You meant what Sam?" Andy pushed. She knew she was playing with fire, but these past 6 months had lit a fire inside her and for some reason she was brave. She wanted to make him say the words.

"You know what I mean Andy." He glanced over his shoulder, clearly nervous.

"I'm not sure I do." Andy replied honestly, "You mean you still want me to get a dog you can take care of?" She did her best not to smile. She wanted him to earn this back from her. They'd done enough damage to each other in the past year; it was time to start fresh. This would be a good place.

"No," Sam muttered, "I mean, well, I do like dogs." He flustered and finally, "I love you. I still love you." He replied calmly and looked her straight in the eyes. It felt like time stopped for a moment. Like everything Andy had experienced in the past 8 months was gone.

"That being said," He started, breaking their eye contact, "I do think I rushed into things that night. These 6 months, they've been an eye opener for me. Maybe we should just, you know, take it slow. Start from the beginning. Like rookies on the first shift." He laughed at the last second, but it was more nervous than elated.

"I understand Sam." Andy replied, though she wasn't sure she fully did. Right now she wanted nothing more than to rush head on into whatever it was they'd had.

Silence enveloped the room, dragging out the sips of beers and sounds of bottles touching the marble counter.

"So, McNally, is that a yes?"

She paused, wanting to make him squirm, "Yeah. I can understand you being a rookie in this situation. I'm good with that." She laughed out loud.

"Yeah, laugh it up, we'll see who's a rookie." Sam rolled his eyes, setting his now-empty beer down on the counter, "I'm out, early shift and Nash will kick my ass if I don't have the paperwork handed in for her. Lost another bet."

Andy felt a little stung that he didn't want to stay the night with her. She was still fighting the urge to rush into Sam head on, but she was determined to make this work, the right way.

It seemed as though he read her mind, "Andy? There is no rush. You're back and I'm here. Let's just see where this goes and try to make this work."

She instantly relaxed and took a breath, "You're right. I've-I've just missed you. I missed you every day."

He moved across the counter, stepping closer to her and taking her in his arms, "I know your brain, don't over think this Andy. Let it go, this is the simple stuff now." She leaned into him, closing her eyes and sighing. "McNally?" she wrapped her arms around him tighter, "Andy, I love you."

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2: This Mess Of Mine

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback! I'm hoping to continue to grow this Fan Fic based on your reviews, so please keep them coming!

* * *

The slap of her feet on the pavement pounded in her ears as she rounded the bend. It felt good to run her old route and see the familiar sites of the Toronto area.

She'd spent the last two days trying to organize her notes on the case, but couldn't seem to concentrate unless she took a decent run every morning and afternoon. It's not that her attention to detail was off, but reliving the case through her paperwork was a constant reminder of leaving her life and leaving Sam. The longer she sat in her apartment each day, the more claustrophobic she felt. She considered going to the coffee shop on the corner to organize, but her fear of losing something important kept her confined to the kitchen table.

And then there was Sam.

She hadn't seen him since the night after The Penny. They'd shared a few brief phone calls, but the double homicide he was working with Traci was consuming his time. Apparently, the case was tied to Anton Hill in some way, and Andy could hear his need to finish what he started with Anton in their conversations.

She respected that. She respected Sam, his drive and ambitions. He'd always been a good cop.

But it didn't stop her from missing him. His presence was a constant vision in her brain and an ache she hadn't felt until she was reminded of what it felt like to sit in his arms again. To know he cared about her like she'd hoped he still could, even after all this time.

She was trying to be patient. Give him space. She felt like she owed it to him considering she'd been the one to blow his cover after 8 months working the streets to take Hill down. Sam deserved his second shot.

She rounded the corner approaching her apartment and contemplated running straight past and pushing another city block, but decided against it. She was thirsty and she couldn't avoid her notes forever.

She wasn't surprised when she climbed the last steps and found Nick waiting outside of her apartment.

"Hey Nick," she huffed; her run had worn her out, "You going stir-crazy too?"

"Sounds like a familiar story." He smiled.

"Haven't seen you since Friday night, you get lost or something?" She laughed and patted his back as she unlocked the door, "Or is it that Gail managed to find you?"

Nick blushed hard, but the look wasn't one of happiness necessarily.

"What happened dude?" Andy asked, concern filling her heart.

"We talked, she's pretty pissed." Nick replied, looking at the ground for a long time before stepping inside the apartment and shutting the door tight, "I don't know if she's going to forgive me. Maybe we're both in the dog house… break up buddy!" He smiled shyly, referring to the self-help book Andy's mom had purchased when she and Sam had first called it quits.

She laughed, "I'd actually meant to catch you up on that."

"Don't tell me Swarek came crawling back after he pretty much brushed you off at The Penny?" Nick seemed genuinely surprised, "I saw your face from across the bar, you looked like he'd shot your dog Andy."

Maybe her hypothetical dog, Boo Radley; Andy snickered silently.

"He didn't 'blow me off' per say. He just acted like he hadn't cared that I'd left in the first place."

"Which is better… how?" Nick replied, forcing her to focus on the fact that Sam had still played a bit of a game with her, even if his confession afterwards was genuine.

"I don't know. Maybe he was feeling me out, seeing what the situation was." She knew the excuse was a weak one, but she honestly couldn't understand why he would make her feel so unimportant just to come back and make her the most important thing in his life.

"Didn't Traci say he dated Monica while you were gone?" Nick offered, pushing her to the limit. Andy buckled and sat down hard on the couch, "Listen Nick, if we're being fair here, I was supposedly dating you while I was gone." Andy tossed out; they had been paired up as partners with the cover story of being in a relationship.

"Oh, come on Andy!" Nick seemed impatient, "That was different, it's not like we enjoyed kissing for a crowd of drug dealers and johns," he pressed on, "If Swarek dated Monica, you should talk to him about it. Otherwise, you'll always wonder if it was true or if she meant something to him." He paused for a long moment, "Don't let him hurt you again Andy. I hate seeing you like that… like this." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Nick, I get it. I appreciate you lookin' out for me," Andy offered, "But it's—it's different with Sam. It's only been two days, and I haven't seen him enough to talk about more than daily stuff. Please, let me work this out the way that I know how."

He sighed, looking at her and sitting down next to her on the couch, "Fine, but I will make you go through that 12 step program again if shit hits the fan Andy."

They both laughed out loud at the thought.

* * *

An hour later Andy was in a much better mood, cooking fresh minestrone with Nick prepping a garden salad in the kitchen.

"So Gail was THAT pissed?" Andy finally asked, she'd waited to broach the subject until Nick had relaxed. He'd seemed pretty tense when he'd first arrived.

"She was really mad. Said that I should have called and that she couldn't believe that I never reached out once, I mean, you'd think I was out cavorting with drug dealers or something, the way I neglected her." He rolled his eyes, but Andy could tell it was bothering him.

"You were doing your job Nick," Andy offered, "Take it from me, a suspension for poor conduct is NOT fun."

"I know, but it's just hard to explain to her that I didn't just forget about her. I did miss her, I did care. I thought she was leaving to travel the globe for god sake." He finished, his frustration bubbling to the surface.

"Maybe you just need to give her some time. Or, do something to show her you missed her."

"I don't know Andy, maybe I made the wrong choice." Nick paused, "I didn't expect to lose her, I didn't expect for it to feel this way." He turned to look at Andy with sad eyes.

"If you feel that strongly Nick you have to try. Don't just give up! Fight for her." Andy couldn't believe her own words, but she knew she was relating, "Don't just take this lying down."

"Maybe you're right," He finished, taking a huge bite of salad, "Maybe I should just… sweep her off her feet somehow."

"Well, you've got to try, that's for damn sure." Andy finished.

An hour or so later Andy was alone with her thoughts, contemplating not only the case issues she'd discussed with Nick (her notes were KILLING her, why was her handwriting to crappy at times?) but also what he's mused about her Sam-Monica scenario. Traci hadn't made it seem like a big deal, and Andy didn't even know if she felt like it was.

She had left after all.

Cleary Sam still cared about her; otherwise none of this would be happening now. And she couldn't decide if bringing up Monica was worth possibly derailing the good track that they seemed to be rolling on. She'd been back for 3 whole days, was it worth it to start an argument?

Almost on cue, her cell phone vibrated. She snatched it up quickly answering as she flipped it open, "McNally," she paused.

"Hey, it's me." Sam breathed into the phone. Maybe it was the fact she hadn't seen much of him in the past two days, but he sounded sexier than usual, "How was your day? Note-worthy?" He chuckled, he knew her notes and paperwork had been the source of her anxiety and frustration since she'd gotten home.

"Ha-ha, laugh it up. And yes, it was. I went for a long run and then had a late lunch with Nick so we could discuss the case." She stretched, reaching over the couch arm to pick up her slippers.

"What are you doing now McNally?" He asked, she could almost hear is left eyebrow cocking as he raised the question.

"I'm sitting on the couch in my sweats, contemplating burning all of my paperwork to keep warm." She gingerly replied, "It's been pretty drafty, especially since I've been sleeping alone over here."

"Hmmm, well, I can pick you up in 15 minutes if you're interested in escaping for the night." He offered, sounding a bit eager, even if he was trying to play it casual.

"I think I can swing that." She smiled to herself, "Let me pack a quick bag, I'll be ready in 10."

"Can't wait." He hung up.

* * *

20 minutes later she was riding in Sam's truck past The Penny and Division 15 to his apartment on the west side of town. It felt nice to ride in the comfort of his truck, the heat blasting and his hand hooked around hers. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

As they pulled into the drive way she hopped out and reached for her bag as Sam snatched it up and carried it to the door for her.

She entered the front hall and noticed that Sam had painted. The room was a light shade of slate blue where it used to be white.

"New colors?" She asked, running her fingers along the wall where they'd first kissed the night of the black out.

"I went through a stage where I thought everything should change." He offered, choosing his words carefully, but they ripped through her with their real meaning. He'd desperately tried to make sense of her leaving. He'd tried to forget her, even if it was only briefly.

"I like it." Andy replied, looking around the apartment for other differences.

She noticed that he'd hung a painting in the living room, some abstract art piece that people would act like they understood but really it was just beautiful colors swirled into a meaningless shape. There was also a vase on the dining room table that could only have been purchased by a woman with great taste.

Andy hoped it was his mother, or his sister Sarah. She couldn't help thinking it was Monica and she felt her stomach tighten up at the thought of asking him.

"So… anything else change while I was gone?" Andy asked, silently hoping that everything that Traci had told her was a misunderstanding.

"Not really," Sam muttered, rubbing his face and dropping her bag and his back pack near the bedroom door, "I didn't really have much time to change everything, after the first room I realized it was exhausting and I'd rather focus on making Detective." He looked up to meet her eyes and he must have seen the pain hiding there because he reacted immediately "Is there something you're trying to ask McNally?" He widened his stare and looked at her expectantly.

"I-I may have, like, heard that you may or may not have preferred blonde nurses while I was away." She blinked, averting her eyes.

"I may or may not have?" He asked tenderly, almost as if her statement was made of glass.

He looked down at the floor for a moment before locking eyes with her so intensely she wanted to bolt for the door.

He finally spoke after what felt like eternity, "Andy, I was seeing Monica again. It was a few weeks after you left. I had a perp that cut himself pretty bad and when I took him through the ER she was there. It wasn't intentional, and it didn't last long. But she was there, and at the time I missed you, although I wouldn't admit it if you tortured me." He finished, dropping his elbows on the table and waiting for her response.

"Did you-did you love her?" She asked, although she knew she may not like the answer.

Sam was silent for a moment, before he raised his gaze to meet hers, "Andy, it didn't last long because I couldn't hurt Monica. I-I was using her to fill the void of how I felt when you left."

"Andy," he paused, "I could never love anyone the way I love you."

She laughed in that moment.

However inappropriate it was, she laughed out loud. She couldn't believe she had considered Monica a threat. Monica had been his rebound. His way of trying to forget her, she may not have come back.

She was over thinking Sam's actions, yet again, to her own disadvantage. She'd almost created yet another issue between them that hadn't needed to exist. She was finally seeing it. The pattern they got stuck in when neither of them could budge on the small things that were part of the past.

It was so freeing to let it go.

Sam seemed startled when she laughed, but he quickly smiled and reached around the table to pull her to him. When they were finished giggling like school children she dropped her head to his shoulder and sighed, she couldn't help thinking it was too good to be true that things had worked out the way they had. She'd come home to everything she could have hoped for.

And Sam.

She'd come home to Sam.


	3. Chapter 3: Closure

I just wanted to say THANK YOU! For all the feedback! I am first and foremost a McSwarek Shipper, so my story definitely has ties to their relationship. I'm hoping to explore this in the most realistic ways possible, so please keep the feedback coming!

I hope to explore the other characters (Nick for example) as well in the coming chapters, so please be patient with me as the story unfolds.

PLEASE NOTE: This chapter was previously reported to the admin's for having 'mature' content. The chapter ends abruptly because I've had to remove the content to continue this story.

* * *

It had been a rough day, which Andy was starting to think maybe she was owed a bad day, especially since she'd seemed to be getting everything she could have ever wanted in the past week or so.

She'd been mandated to see a shrink to complete her debriefing but she was having a tough time arranging to see a therapist while going through her notes.

She had to process her memories. She felt she needed to gain insight into the case in an objective way in order to testify against the men who smuggled young girls into this country to be raped and prostituted out for money. The images and facts she and Officer Collins had collected for six months still scared her. The girl who had died in front of her eyes still gave her nightmares.

Luckily Sam had been there the past two nights in a row, she'd only woken up in a cold sweat once, feeling a sharp stab of panic before realizing she was in her own bed, in her own apartment next to the man she thought wouldn't wait 6 months for her. They hadn't managed to get past second base these past two nights, but Andy was okay with giving it time. Sam was worth the wait, and regardless of why he seemed to withdraw from going further, Andy was willing to do whatever it took to keep him this time; even if his incredibly slow pace was killing her slowly.

All she wanted to do was kiss him. But regardless, that seemed to be coming together, so why couldn't she manage to get it together to see Dr. Lipstein?

Just the thought of the appointment was giving her anxiety; she couldn't imagine being put on the spot by a stranger and the thought of being asked about her feelings… the things she saw… she didn't want to relive any of it, especially when she would have to relive it again during the trial. That's twice too many times for Andy.

She unlocked the door to her apartment and dropped her bag and jacket on the chair next to the door and kicked off her boots. She'd gone for an extra-long run and down to the precinct to lift weights with Traci before her shift began. She missed work but lacked the drive to get back to it faster by dealing with all the bad stuff she wasn't sure she could rid her brain of.

She pulled a protein shake out of the fridge and cracked the cap on her shaker cup, taking a long swig. If there was one thing that was benefiting from her runs and work outs, it was her body. She was in the best shape of her life and she owed it all to her inability to face the facts.

Andy saw that girl die. She saw it, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

But she couldn't stop herself from wondering if she's couldn't prevent it because she wasn't quick enough, or because she was terrified of exposing herself and Nick as UC cops. The thoughts haunted her. Kept her up at night and fueled what little rest she could manage to get with nightmares. Always that scream…

She jumped as her phone rang loudly on the table next to her.

"McNally," she answered like clock-work.

"Hey sweetheart," Sam's voice rang clearly on the other end of the line, "I heard you were beating up Nash down here earlier, how come I didn't see you?"

"I wanted to grab a few things from the grocery store, and I wasn't sure if it was proper to interrupt you at work detective," she let the syllables hang on the word 'detective' knowing full well he'd catch her drift.

She really hadn't wanted to interrupt him, especially when she wasn't cleared to return to work yet.

"Well, I for one would have loved that interruption," Sam pushed through her hint and brushed it aside, "Can I interrupt you later by any chance?"

Andy couldn't help smiling, "Of course," she paused thoughtfully, "I'm up for interruptions any time after six."

"After six?" Sam chuckled, "Well conveniently that's when I'm finished my shift Officer." Andy hadn't expected the word to make her stomach flutter, but it did. Officer. What she was. What she should have been when she watched Melanie Wilks get shot.

Her voice dropped, but Sam didn't seem to notice, "I'll see you at six."

"Can't wait McNally."

The line disconnected. Andy felt like she couldn't breathe. She debated calling Traci, but she was on shift and may not pick up. She decided to try anyways.

"Go for Traci." Her voice sounded occupied, and Andy debated cutting the call short.

"Hey Trace, how's it going?" Andy murmured the words casually.

"Andy?" Traci replied, "It's going fine. Busy. That homicide I'm working with Swarek is kickin' my ass. But once we nail down our key testimony, we may be able to nail Anton once and for all."

"That's good. That's great," Andy wandered, " I'm sure that will bring you and Sam great peace of mind knowing that piece of trash is off the streets." Andy still remembered Emily, the informant Hill had roughed up on Sam's watch. She'd taken some hits. Anton Hill wasn't a merciful man.

"So," Traci seemed more focused now, "You want to tell me why you're really calling me in the middle of shift? I doubt you were that curious about my cases."

Damn. Traci knew her too well.

"I've been… struggling Trace," she continued, "I'm supposed to see a UC shrink about my 6 month op, it's kind of part of my debriefing… but I can't seem to make myself go. My memories… I feel like I can't shake them and talking about them is the last thing I feel like doing." Andy practically word-vomited all over Traci her deepest thoughts since returning home.

"Andy…" Traci paused, "You need to talk to your therapist. If it helps, I saw a one of the specialists after Jerry passed… I didn't advertise it, but with everything happening and with his murder going on trial in another 3 months… I just needed to get it out." Traci finished quietly.

"I don't know if I can Trace." Andy whispered.

"I didn't want to go either. But a part of me knew I really needed it. I needed to learn to let Jerry go… but keep him with me every day. You won't know until you try."

"When did you get so wise?" Andy laughed, breaking the quiet.

"When I had to explain to my son that Jerry had gone to the angels but that he would never really leave us." Traci finished quietly.

Andy swallowed thickly, "I'm sorry Traci. I know you must really miss him."

"It gets easier, but yes, I really miss him," Traci changed topics, "Now, I also miss you. So please, go to your appointments so you can get back to work please?" It was her turn to laugh softly.

"Yes, I'm sure it's like jumping into cold water, it only seems scary at first…" Andy trails off, nervous about the thought of talking to a complete stranger.

"Yes, exactly," Traci pushed, "Just get in the water McNally."

"Thanks Trace," Andy finished, "I'll talk to you soon."

* * *

An hour later Andy stands on the street directly across from the very spot where she'd picked up Nick Collins with Luke Callaghan 6 months ago. Ironic that Dr. Lipstiens office was across the street, considering why she was standing here in the first place.

She glanced at her watch nervously, it still read 3:01 and she was having trouble taking the steps to cross the street.

"Just do this McNally," she kept muttering to herself, thinking of how she was supposed to see Sam in only 3 short hours. She couldn't stand here outside all day.

She dropped her foot onto the pavement and listened to her footsteps pound in her ears and she crossed the street to enter the building's lobby.

Dr. Lipstien was a well put together woman. She wore a clean pair of trousers and smelt faintly of lavender, which surprisingly, calmed Andy's nerves. She silently wondered whether that was intentional or purely coincidental on the good doctors part.

"So Andy," Lipstien absent mindedly fiddled with her papers, "It's taken you awhile to come and see me. It's my understanding you cancelled our initial appointment." She finally glanced up, locking eyes with Andy easily.

Andy shifted her gaze, "I've been… getting adjusted back to my normal life."

It was Andy's turn to fiddle with the hem of her sweater, suddenly feeling like a child in the principal's office at school.

"I understand," Dr. Lipstien continued, "You must be finding it hard to connect with your friends and family… six months is a very long time to break away from relationships."

And could sense where this was going.

"How are you finding your old ties? Are they strong? Or have you had to re-bond with many of your old friends?"

"I-I think things have been okay." Andy looked everywhere in the room but in her eyes. She wasn't sure she could handle direct questions like this.

"There is no resentment? Undercover operations often leave the officers no choice but to leave abruptly and without good byes. They cannot communicate with their families, friends… even lovers have no warning of your departure," The doctor continued, "Surely you are not finding all adjustments to your life 'okay' even if your friends and family have been exceptional in receiving you back with open arms."

"I-I… everyone has been 'exceptional' I guess," Andy floundered, "But-I… I have been having some issues adjusting."

"What are you having trouble with Officer McNally?"

There she was, straight to the point again.

"I can't sleep." Andy said quietly, looking at the floor. She hoped Dr. Lipstien wasn't trained in the art of interrogation and interviewing, she would be able to tell Andy wasn't giving the full truth of the matter.

"Do you have any ideas as to why you're unable to sleep Officer?" Lipstien made a note on her pad. Great, Andy was officially a note on her therapists pad.

"I'm-I am not sure why I can't sleep. Sometimes I have nightmares… about the mission. Things I saw-they make it difficult to sleep." Andy finished, trying not to look at the ground, but avoiding Lipstiens gaze all the same.

"Is there any particular event that is bothering you?" She pursued, making another note.

Andy paused.

"No. Not anything specific I can remember." Andy replied gazing at Lipstiens perfect face. Even her blouse was pristine, not a wrinkle in sight.

"Hmmm… well, I will prescribe you a light sedative. That should help with your sleeping difficulties," Lipstien continued, "I will see you for a follow up appointment on Thursday, we can discuss your sleep pattern after you've had a chance to think on it some more."

She knows. Andy swallows hard, "Sure. If I get some sleep maybe I'll be able to narrow it down." She offers lamely. The doctors not an idiot, she knows Andy is bluffing.

"Dammit." Andy thinks to herself, she still doesn't feel ready to discuss Melanie.

"I will see you Thursday Officer McNally," she hands her a slip, "Until then, here is your prescription. Make sure you drink plenty of water."

"Will do, thanks doc," Andy replies, realizing too late that calling Lipstien 'doc' probably wasn't the best idea.

Dr. Lipstien gives a small smile and shows Andy the door.

* * *

Andy checks her watch for the third time, the pharmascist is taking an awfully long time to fill a prescription for sedatives and she wants to get back to the apartment before Sam. Something about having a prescription from a therapist makes her want to hide it from him.

"It's probably not a big deal" she muttered to herself, looking at the office clock a fourth time, it's now 5:16 and she's begun to sweat thinking about what will happen if she doesn't make it back to her apartment before Sam. She may have to run.

"Andy McNally" a voice calls from the counter, "Your prescription is ready."

"Thank you!" Andy snatched up the bag and darts towards the door, she can make it if she moves quickly.

30 minutes later she is unlocking the door to her apartment and rushing inside. Her coat lands somewhere on the floor as she kicks off her shoes and heads for the bathroom to read the instructions on her pill bottle.

"Take 1 hour before bed with a full glass of water." She pondered; nothing weird about that. She'd just have to be careful where she hid these. Sam noticed the smallest things. It was part of what made him a great detective.

She searched the apartment with her eyes, scanning for a good spot to stash her tiny prescription.

She finally settled on the bedside cabinet in her guest room. He would never bother going in the second room, especially since Andy never had anyone sleep over other than Gail, who hadn't been in her apartment in months.

Moments later she as in the kitchen making a cup of tea when she heard the hard rap of Sam knocking on her door, she padded over to the peep hole and peaked through. It was habit ever since what happened with Gail the night Andy was assaulted and knocked unconscious by a serial killer.

Sam stared back at her, clearly unaware she was viewing him.

She unlocked the door and opened it wide, smiling shyly as he entered.

"Hey," she smiled, "How was your day?" She shut the door tightly behind him, locking the deadbolt.

"It was good McNally, how was yours?" He smiled that crooked smile and dropped his briefcase and jacket beside the counter in the kitchen.

"It was okay. Had my first appointment with the UC shrink… it was strange." She explained thoughtfully, "I didn't expect to feel as anxious as I did about talking to her."

"Her?" Sam had resumed making her tea, "Dr. Lipstien?"

"Yeah, you know her?" Andy couldn't help it, but images of Sam dating the perfectly poised Dr. Lipstien filled her head.

"I saw her twice after my cover was blown by some crazy rookie." He looked up and smiled.

Andy blushed, "Hey, at least I took you down. What kind of cop would I be if I'd let you get away?"

Sam laughed, "Not as badass as you are now McNally, that's for sure," he pressed on, "She's a good shrink. You can trust her to give it to you straight."

Andy paused, that meant a lot coming from Sam, mister "not into sharing feelings" Swarek.

"She seems okay," Andy sighed, "Just not sure what there is to discuss yet."

Sam paused, looking up from his tea making endeavors, "There is always something to discuss during debriefing Andy." He said very seriously, "Don't let issues be left unresolved because you're afraid. It's not worth it. Trust me."

She smiled quietly, "If you say so." She thought of the hidden pills. She was only slightly guilty, but felt better keeping it to herself for now.

She wandered over to where Sam was standing and wrapped her arms around his neck for a deep kiss. She felt him draw her tighter to his body, the buttons from his dress shirt digging into her skin through her thin tank top. She still wasn't used to seeing Sam wearing plain clothes instead of uniform.

She pulled back and looked up at him, "I'm going to throw on my pajamas, you want to TiVo or crash?" She asked.

"Crash," he responded, suddenly appearing very tired. She hadn't noticed the dark circles under his eyes until now. She responded by taking his hand and walking him down the hall and watching him enter the bedroom as she popped into her master bathroom.

Minutes later she entered the bedroom to complete darkness.

"Sam?" She called out quietly, worried he may already be asleep. She had hoped they'd continue to build on the spark she'd felt in the kitchen.

She felt her way across the carpet; suddenly, out of the darkness, she felt his hands slide up her sides, climbing underneath her tank top, reaching for her back hungrily.

Before she could react to his gentle embrace; his lips where hot on hers. Their kiss grew frustrated and hungry, there wasn't enough heat, and could never be enough, the friction that was growing between them.

She ran her fingers through his hair greedily, pulling and scratching lightly, nipping at his bottom lip and letting out a soft cry of ecstasy when he responded by pulling her up and wrapping her legs around his waist, dragging her to the bed as if she weighed nothing.

Pulling off her top, Sam nipped at her breasts, massaging each nipple with his tongue longingly. She leaned back, enjoying the attention. It had been a long 6 months. It was her turn to undress him as she pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it somewhere into the abyss. His pants slid off easily in the dark and she felt how aroused he was when he leaned against her to remove her bottoms.

"Sweetheart, let me…" Sam stopped her from removing her panties. He laid her down gently on her back and palms her inner thighs. He trailed hot kisses down her stomach until he reached the top of her boy shorts. She was suddenly really glad she'd done laundry yesterday.

"Sam…" She moaned, letting out a low growl. He trailed his face deeper between her thighs, nipping through her panties along the way, exciting her in ways she hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

"Christ," Sam murmured into her thighs, his breath hot on her skin, "You drive me crazy." He responded by touching his index finger to the wettest part of her panties.

"Ooh." She sighed, giving in and spreading her thighs slightly to accommodate him. Sam reached over and pulled her panties to the side, exposing her most vulnerable part. Her excitement couldn't be explained in words. Just when she thought she couldn't bare it, he sunk his thumb inside and rubbed her clit lightly, creating a sweet circular friction. Her excitement was palpable, if he didn't slow down the show was going to drop curtain soon; too soon for her. She groaned, excitement building steadily, her stomach muscles tensing and releasing with each hurried gasp.

"Sam…" she moaned, "Sam… I want—I want you." She demanded quietly.

His answer was to stroke her with his index finger, his breath hot as he whispered, "Jesus Andy," before burying his finger deep inside. She let out a low moan, she couldn't tell what was better; the heat of his words on her thighs and abdomen or the pleasure his hands were creating in her body.

"Sam," She cried, "Up—please!" She couldn't bare it; she needed him inside of her, like, immediately.

He pulled back and smiled in the dark, climbing briskly up her body before hoisting her by her thighs into position.

She felt him, holy moly he was hard. She wasn't sure she would be ready for him. She'd been flying solo for a while now, and she wasn't prepared. Panic started to build in her chest but was disrupted by Sam whispering in her ear, "I love you Andy," He was breathless and she could feel his sweat clammy against her skin. Her heart fluttered at his words forcing her body to respond.

She leaned back against the pillows below and wrapped her thighs tighter around his waist, inviting him inside. She could feel his hardness spreading her slightly before he found her face with his hands in the dark. He leaned down and kissed her deeply as he slid all the way inside. She gasped through their kiss, her body full to the brim with Sam. Her thighs clenched and her hips bucked to get closer, to feel him deeper, as she let out a deep sigh.

Sam responded by lifting her slightly to angle himself deeper, pushing himself relentlessly against her hips.

The friction built steadily with each thrust, Andy could feel herself growing closer and closer to climax.

Sam pulled her upright gently so she was sitting, legs wrapped around his waist so he could thrust himself inside her. Andy let out a low moan and found his face with her hands, stroking his jaw with her thumb and leaning into his lips. He kissed her; frenzied and deep, a sign he was close to the edge too.

She rocked herself back a bit on his thighs and felt the groove of his toned back with her hands and fingers. He stroked her breast with one hand while the other supported her; he was nipping at her jaw and neck now, his tongue searching for her mouth.

She felt it now. She was so close, she-could-she could—she-she was there. Oh, she was there.

She sighed a frantic sigh and collapsed into his embrace like a rag doll, just as she felt him inside, completing everything she'd hoped for this evening. His thighs quivered under her weight and from the shock of his release. He deepened their kiss and stroked her hair out of her eyes.

"God Sam," she sighed, breathlessly, "I love you."

He smiled, pausing for enough time to make Andy question whether he was going to say it back, I mean, he'd already said it once tonight maybe that was meeting his quota for the week.

"I love you too," he finished, laying her on her back and rolling gently off of her so she could rest in the nook of his arm.

He kissed a silent trail of kisses down her shoulder and back as she cuddled into his side.

Andy broke the silence, "Thank you."

Sam chuckled and raised his eyes to meet her face, "For the orgasm? That's awfully formal of you McNally."

She laughed, rolling her eyes, "No silly! For being here. For telling the truth before I left. Just—thank you." She gazed down, slightly embarrassed about her emotional word vomit.

"It's not anything to thank me for," Sam lifted her chin with one finger to meet her gaze, "We are both lucky in this situation, and don't you forget it."

She smiled weakly; he always had this calming effect on her. She felt like maybe she would be able to sleep tonight after all—maybe without the pills to help.

"Now, let's get some sleep McNally, I don't know about you, but I've got suspects to apprehend tomorrow." He winked at her, closing his eyes.

Andy sighed, rolling further into his side. She could hear his faint breathing in the darkness, lulling her into (hopefully) a night of restful reprieve.


	4. Chapter 4: The Things You Can't Change

Thank you for all the reviews, as promised, a bit more character play in this one and I hope to keep building on this.

I also wanted to introduce some of the characters we know will be joining the cast for season 4, so I'd love some feedback on that!

Keep the reviews coming, they fuel the creative brain!

* * *

She could feel the sweat pooling at the base of her back, she couldn't remember sweating this much, well, practically ever. She wiped a damp piece of hair back from her eyes as she sat in Dr. Lipsteins waiting room patiently.

She'd finally reached the pinnacle of her appointments; it was 'make or break' time. She was either going to discuss Melanie's death (which she was positive that the good doctor already knew about somehow) or she may not be cleared to return to work for another week-possibly longer.

The thought made her want to throw up—or pass out—or a combination of both.

She noticed that she'd be involuntarily tapping her foot for the past 3 minutes, and slowed her pace until she could force herself to stop. But every time she saw Melanie's face… heard that scream before the gun shot, she felt dizzy.

A big part of Andy's worry was that she wasn't fit to do her job anymore. Maybe this feeling meant she wasn't a good cop, couldn't handle the loss. She was concerned; not just about confessing her feelings about the incident with a complete stranger, but also about what that stranger may decide to do with her. The Doc held the future of her career in her hands, what if she decided Andy had made a terrible mistake? Or worse, couldn't recover?

"Andy McNally?" Dr. Lipstein's secretary stepped out of the office and glanced down the hall towards her, "Dr. Lipstein will see you now." She smiled, almost reassuring.

Andy stood up too fast and knocked her knee against the waiting room table before embarrassingly making her way to the office door.

"So Andy, nice to see you again," Dr. Lipstein glanced up slightly from her paperwork, "How are you feeling after the events we discussed?"

Andy gulped, "I'm feeling okay. I mean, I'm slightly frustrated that my return to work order has been delayed, pending your review, but I understand its protocol." She rubbed her sore knee before quickly meeting Lipsteins eyes.

"Yes, well, I can't help feeling that regardless of everything you have shared, that there is still an underlying issue as to why you can't sleep at night Andy."

Lipstein makes a small note on her pad and rests her pen on her chin, "You mentioned last time you hear screaming sometimes, before you wake up. That it feels real to you in the moment."

Andy can feel the sweat pooling again, she feels dizzy when she thinks of Melanie's face. The grime on her skin, mixed with the blood seeping from the obvious cuts on her forehead.

This was it, this is her moment. There would be no going back.

"Okay, I'll talk." Andy sighed and prepared to recap her last night under cover…

* * *

_She'd been getting ready all afternoon, Nick was on his way to pick her up in 10 minutes to attend Carlos Vetto's warehouse party._

_They'd been tailing Carlos, getting close to the prostitute ring leader for quite a while, and Carlos was taking an interest in Andy. This was both a win for the case and terrifying for Andy personally. There was a lot riding on her relationship with Carlos and his ability to to provide her with information regarding the abuse of his girls to her without him guessing her betrayal._

_Luckily, she'd grown friendly with one of Carlos' girls, Melanie Wilks. Melanie had been working for Carlos for just under a year, and was the favorite of Carlos's partner, Leto Mendez. She'd taken to Andy right away, assuring her that working for the two men wasn't that bad and that the perks of the relationship far out weighted the alternative: running._

_Andy had made the mistake of letting down her guard with Melanie. She had started to trust her._

_That's when things went bad._

_Andy began to have personal feelings about Melanie. Specifically regarding her safety._

_She got protective and started to advise Melanie that she should get out of the life. Melanie seemed to agree and began forming a plan to leave Letos, a plan that only Andy knew about. Andy was going to help her escape._

_But what Andy didn't see coming was Melanie's guilt-and her unrelenting devotion to Leto. She finally caved under pressure and spilled her plan to Leto, even going as far as to mention that Andy had offered to help her leave. His response was to beat her; brutally and mercilessly. _

_So there Andy was, the night of Carlos's warehouse party, walking into a trap set by someone she thought she was helping escape, only, she hadn't helped Melanie at all; or herself for that matter._

_Andy entered the warehouse to find that it was deserted except for a small group of men crowded around something in the center of the room. Nick followed close behind her, and she could register the shock on his face when they both realized there wasn't any party happening here tonight._

_At least, not the kind of party they were hopeing to walk into._

_"Rachel," Carlos smiled, turning away from the group of men and sauntering towards Andy, "So nice of you and your partner—" she listened to him linger on the word, "to join us."_

_"He knows," she thought to herself, "Shit."_

_She smiled, trying to keep her front going for as long as possible, "I was expecting more of a party Carlos, I didn't realize you wanted to keep it so intimate," she chuckled._

_"Well, there are matters to discuss that are not suitable with a crowd of people present." He smiled, "But then again, you must know, since you and Melanie have been discussing such issues privately together for some time."_

_Andy could feel his aggression building, and she could feel Nick tense behind her, clearly he didn't understand what was happening and she suddenly felt incredibly foolish for not briefing him, filling him in on her plan with Melanie. _

_She'd only wanted to help._

_"C'mon Carlos, are you kidding me?" she played with fire, "I have no idea what you're talking about. But Melanie must be pulling the wool over your eyes big time." She winked playfully. She felt Nick move closer behind her and she struggled to keep her breathing in check._

_"Leto, why don't we ask Melanie what her and 'Rachel' discussed?" Carlos called out to the group of men behind him and parted slowly to reveal Leto standing with his hand tangled in someone's hair._

_He reached down and brushed a few strands out of her eyes. Melanie._

_She'd let out a low whimper and her eyes showed genuine surprise when she'd spotted Andy and Nick standing a mere 15 feet from her. She gave Andy a look of pleading, she was afraid and Andy could feel her fear rolling through the room in waves._

_Maybe Melanie was right-running was a bad idea._

_Leto advanced, dragging her forward on the concrete and shouted, "You tell my girl to run from me?!" His eyes were black with fury and he glared at her venom dripping from his words._

_"There must be a misunderstanding here Carlos," Nick addressed him, stepping out in front of Andy, "Rachel didn't mean any harm and clearly, Melanie wanted to leave or she wouldn't have mentioned anything to her in the first place." _

_Andy groaned internally, Nick had pointed out a flaw in Melanie that may have just cost them both their lives._

_"Guys, hey—let's hold up a second here," Andy interjected, "Melanie clearly knows this talk between us wasn't a good idea, she's shown she wants to stay with Leto. Clearly-clearly he is the most important thing to her, she's showing that now." Andy fumbled, trying to guide Leto into letting Melanie go. She looked like she'd seen better days, and unless she was crying blood Andy was certain she needed immediate medical attention._

_"No." Leto glared at her menacingly, "No bitch runs from me and gets to live to tell her stupid whore friends about it." _

_Carlos crossed his arms and the men surrounded Melanie and dragged her to her knees. She cried, her tears and blood, it was all Andy could see._

_"Wait-"Andy interjected, "Stop!" She started to step forward but Nick held her back._

_Carlos pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it directly at Andy and Nick, "You stay where you are." His eyes had been clear in his intentions._

_"She's just a girl!" Andy shouted, "Please—just, just wait. Carlos, let's talk this over—"she started but was interrupted by the piercing scream coming from Melanie… and then a single shot._

* * *

"And that's when S.W.A.T and the UC team stormed the building." Andy finished, looking up at Dr. Lipstein slowly, "I was escorted from the building… I didn't even see her body. Nick came to tell me that he'd shot her... they'd shot her once in the head. There was no way to save her. She was killed instantly." Andy gulped back tears.

"Andy, you realize that Melanie did what many victims in her circumstances do, correct? She returned to her abuser out of fear and ended up the by-product of his cruelty for a second time." Dr. Lipstein rested her pad on her lap and leaned forward in her chair, "You helping her, however irrational in your mind now, was probably the only kindness that girl had seen in a year."

Andy wiped her eyes as stray tears escaped, "But she's dead. She died! Because of me," she took her head in her hands and the tears fell more freely, "I let down my partner; I kept Nick in the dark. The first rule of policing—watch your partner's back and what do I do? I keep him out of the loop."

Dr. Lipstien handed her a tissue and she accepted it gratefully, "I cost someone their life because I thought I was doing the right thing." She looked up and met Dr. Lipsteins eyes; finally, "Just like when Sam listened to me instead of Jerry…" she paused, remembering their horrible confrontation and break up behind The Black Penny a year ago.

"Andy, you can't take the blame for things that happen to other people. You didn't pull the trigger. You tried to rescue a girl from a life she thought she could never escape. She chose to return to her abuser." Dr. Lipstein looked Andy up and down a final time, "You have a brave heart. A full heart; that's part of what makes you a wonderful police officer," she finished.

Andy smiled across the room at Lipstein and wiped her eyes for the last time.

"I've just been feeling so anxious about it; especially with the trial coming up and all. A large part of their case is based upon what I can remember about my meetings with Melanie and the audio I recorded during our sessions alone together. It's a lot of weight for me to carry, I feel responsible."

"Andy," Lipstein pursued, "You are not able to control someone's death. You followed protocol and even if S.W.A.T had come in minutes before, there is no guarantee he wouldn't have shot her immediately upon their arrival. You were 15 feet from where her body was found. You couldn't have branched the distance without having yourself or Officer Collins wounded or killed."

Andy looked across the room to the plaques on her wall, "You sure know a lot of the logistics," she finished quietly.

"I've reviewed the case, yes. That's part of what I do here Andy." Lipstein stated, using her first name for the first time in their several sessions, "You need to accept Melanie's death and understand that it had nothing to do with what you did or did not do."

She stated matter of factly, "If you do not, her killers may walk free based on the fact that you are not fit to testify or participate in the giving of evidence in Melanie's case."

The words stung Andy in a way she hadn't thought of over the past month.

"I—I understand." Andy replied, glancing Dr. Lipstein in the eyes, "I don't want them to get away—away with what they did to her." Andy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I can do this."

"Good," Lipstein replied, picking up her pad again and making a few quick notes, "Because you are cleared to return to work."

* * *

Andy pushed harder on the pavement and rounded the corner with the sort of momentum you see in Adidas commercials. Her ipod pounded in her ears and she could feel her body ache with the familiar feeling of stiff muscles combined with exertion. She needed to make sure she stretched after this run, she'd been cheating and skipping her cool down sessions.

She jogged past the park near the precinct and debated taking another route past the lighthouse where she used to find her Dad on occasion, but decided against it. She pumped harder and sped up—maybe she could catch Sam before he finished shift. If she picked up the pace she could make the precinct in 25 minutes. Her heart raced at the thought.

Her thoughts filled with the past 4 weeks, how good it felt to have Sam back in her life.

They'd been doing so well, and his ambition on his latest cases had really helped inspire her to open up to Dr. Lipstein this morning, his hard work really put all of this Melanie stuff in perspective for her.

She'd been prepping out of neccessity, but now she couldn't wait to testify against Melanie's murders in court. Her notes were impeccable and she was more than ready. She hoped they would get life without parole. Sam had been prepping her at home the last week, asking her the tough questions based on her notes and going over her testimony with her on a daily basis, looking for holes. She felt strong because of him. They were a great team.

She finished her run a block from Division 15 and slowed to a walk for her cool down. It took her another 10 minutes before she hit the front doors of the precinct. As she entered the lobby, she noticed Chris working the front desk.

"Diaz, what did you do to deserve desk duty?" She joked, rounding the corner and slipping behind the desk with him.

"I've been working the desk since I put in for transfer," he smiled at her, but she could sense he wasn't as thrilled at the idea as he seemed originally 8 months ago.

"Yeah? How's that going anyhow?" she inquired casually, "Seems to be taking an awfully long time to go through. You'd think a nice boy like you they'd speed up the process."

Chris laughed, "Yeah, you'd think," he glanced around, making sure they were alone, "I don't know Andy… I've been debating lately whether all of this is worth it," he sighed, "I mean, I see Christian every weekend, and Denise has barely been around to see me. She seems more relieved that she's not having to handle him alone than excited for us to be together, to be a family."

Andy could see the sadness in his eyes. This wasn't how Chris had imagined his family beginning.

"Well, maybe you need to re-evaluate what you want out of life. You're a good cop Chris, a better cop than working desk duty all day, every day. Maybe it's more important to show Christian how to be a good man who lives life to the fullest—than to be the guy who stayed for the wrong reasons." She finished thoughtfully.

Chris paused, "Maybe you're right." He glanced down at his paperwork before finishing, "Thanks Andy."

"No problem Diaz." She laughed, "You see Swarek around these parts?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied, barely looking up from his computer screen, "He's working some robbery case with Marlo right now."

"Marlo?" Andy inquired, curiously, "New rookie or new officer?"

"New officer, she's 8 years in. Apparently, she worked rookie with Swarek but swapped divisions to work an international case load for a couple years." He looked up at her and paused, "You'll see when you meet her. She's different."

"Huh, thanks, I'll catch you later." Andy gave a gentle wave and weaved through the door to the hallway that led to the parade room and the locker room.

As she rounded the corner she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and stopped to observe Sam coming out of interrogation room two with a short brunette.

She was pretty, with a dark tan and a generous smile—well; she was giving Sam a generous smile. Andy wasn't sure whether to feel uneasy about it or not. She waited, watching from behind her pillar as Sam put an arm around the brunette's shoulders and guided her over to the detectives' offices. She watched through the glass as they shared a laugh over something she couldn't hear and saw the brunette sit opposite him and observe a report or some other case file on the screen. Andy couldn't help but notice how the brunette leaned close over Sam's shoulder and smiled at every comment he made.

"You going to stand there staring all day or approach him McNally?"

Andy jumped at Nick's voice and nearly collapsed in his arms after catching her breath.

"Jesus Nick!" she yelped, "You scared me! You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that."

"You mean, like you're sneaking around watching Sam right now?" He grinned from ear to ear, "In case you're wondering, that nice lady goes by Marlo—Marlo Cruz."

"So I hear." Andy glanced over at Sam again, "Have you patrolled with her yet? I see she's in uniform so she's clearly not his partner."

Nick sighed and looked Andy directly in the eye, "She's definitely not his partner, in any sense of the word," he smiled, "And yes, I've patrolled with her. Only once, but she seems okay. She can definitely be a bit on the bossy side."

"Huh," Andy continued, "Well at least now I'm cleared to return to work."

"You got cleared?!" Nick nearly shouted in Andy's ear, "Finally! Thank god Andy!"

She laughed and playfully slapped him, "I'm not as speedy as you, but hey, slow and steady wins the race-or so I've heard."

"McNally?" She turned at Sam's voice and his eyes were searching hers, "You got cleared for work?"

"Geez, Sam! Everyone is sneaking up on me today! And yes—yes, I got the word today. Just a few hours ago actually," She smiled up at him, "I was coming by to see if you were off shift soon, perhaps a small celebration is in order?"

"That's great!" Sam glanced down at his feet, "But I've got to work this case late with Officer Cruz, and I don't think I can do tonight," he glanced up into her eyes, "Another night?"

Andy tried not to appear too crushed, "Yeah, of course," she smiled weakly, "Another night is perfect."

"Okay," Sam smiled back, "Well, I've got to go crush this case, I'll call you later tonight?"

"Yes—I'll talk to you later." Andy finished, leaning forward and planting a kiss directly on his lips.

He kissed back and it felt divine. She felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Sam could never fall for some Officer he knew back in his rookie days, after all, he had been through so much with Andy that they'd earned this shot at happiness; she was certain of it.

As she pulled away from him softly she caught the eye of the brunette, Marlo, watching them from the detectives' office. The look on her face was not one of curiosity or indifference. It was a look of pure irritation and dislike.

Sam brushed a stray hair from her eyes, "I'll catch you later, promise," he winked at her, "Collins" he tipped his head—"See you guys later." He waved and walked off towards his office.

Nick gave a gentle wave and smiled goodbye.

As Sam jogged up the steps to his office, Nick leaned forward and whispered in Andy's ear, "I take that back—I think you just made an enemy McNally."

"Holy moly," she sighed quietly.

Things at 15th Division had just gotten interesting.


	5. Chapter 5: When Nothing Is The Same

Thanks for all the great feedback on my story! It fuels the process and I'm glad everyone is enjoying it.

I've taken the multiple suggestions to rate my story "M" and have re-posted the missing scene from Chapter 3 and added another love scene in this Chapter, so please, if you don't like this type of story, go else where!

This Chapter is shorter than my others, I wanted to get some ideas out while they were still fresh-so a longer Chapter coming up in the next round.

Hope you enjoy and keep the feedback coming!

* * *

"GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" Andy shouted holding her gun at an angle where she could manage a clear shot at the suspect.

The tall male was wearing a ski-mask to obstruct their view of his face, but regardless of his identity she knew he'd robbed a small local corner store and managed to injure the owner, although Andy isn't aware how bad the victims injuries are. She'd gotten the call over dispatch and responded to begin the pursuit of the purp without attending the scene of his crime.

"Did you hear the officer? GET ON THE GROUND!" Marlo Cruz shouted above Andy as she held her back, they'd reached an enclosed alley way and there was no route of escape.

The man dropped to the ground, realizing his inevitable demise and put his hands up in the air instinctively, "All right," Andy spoke as she approached cautiously, "I'm going to have to cuff you and pat you down… do you have a weapon or anything that could hurt me?" She reached over, bringing his hands behind his back and locking the cuff's securely.

"No, I lost my weapon when I ran." The man replied quietly, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Okay," Andy nodded, completing her pat down and looking at Marlo, who was standing a few feet away speaking into her radio softly, "He's lost his weapon during the chase, he's clean." Andy shouted, her face burning. Marlo has been really tough to work with all day; and it was only Andy's second day back.

"Okay," Marlo spoke into the radio without acknowledging Andy, "Purp says he lost the weapon on route to our location, send out an officer or two to search the alley's we pursued him through and look for the knife." She spoke with an aura of command that Andy had to admire, but that didn't mean she liked Marlo or enjoyed the way she was had been treating her today.

"Let's go Andy, put him in the car." Marlo barked at her and stepped back over to text something on her mobile phone and speak into the radio softly again.

"What could be so important huh?" Andy muttered under her breath as she lowered the suspects head into the back seat. She slammed the door before pausing to wait for Marlo to finish up her conversation; when she finally turned to Andy she nodded towards the passenger side of the car and Andy shrugged, hopping in.

"Anything else from Dispatch?" Andy inquired politely, gazing out the window as Marlo maneuvered the squad car in and out of traffic, taking them back to Division 15.

"Nothing that concerns you Andy," Marlo smiled to herself and gazed in her rear view mirror at the man in the back, "You'll be processing this guy for a while and I've got to meet Sam to talk shop about our robbery case."

Andy gulped, trying to keep from word vomiting profanities at Marlo over the simple fact that Marlo refused to refer to Sam as "Detective Swarek" during their professional conversations. This irked Andy in a way she didn't know was possible until now. Andy's patience bubbled below the surface as she tried to remain professional with multiple difficulties.

"Well," she sighed, "I'll make sure I take care of this back at the barn." She nodded towards the man in the back who, even with his ski mask off, had a generic criminal face in Andy's eyes.

"You do that Andy," Marlo jabbed a bit harder, "I've got lunch to have and small talk to make."

Andy smiled a tight lipped smile and swallowed her words, she knew Marlo meant Sam.

* * *

The repetitive click of Andy's clip sounded as she fired her empty weapon in to the hollow basin in the locker room. She slammed her gun back into her holster and fumbled with the locking mechanism briefly before grunting and giving up.

"Tough day?" Chris Diaz prompted her as he slid off his gun holster and utility belt and laid it on the bench beside her.

"Nothing that a sturdy punching bag won't cure," Andy sighed, looking out across the hall where she can see Sam standing at the coffee machine punching buttons, "You want to hit the bags with me Chris?"

"Hmmm, yeah, I think I can swing that," he laughed, remembering how Andy schooled him in 90% of the basketball games they've shared together, he could only imagine how her left hook was, "Just promise to go easy on me Andy, I can feel your rage from here."

She grinned, "I'll try to avoid breaking the bag, but it has been that kind of day," she chuckled as she gathered up her weaponry and locked it in the corresponding storage bin, "I'll catch you in the gym in 15 minutes."

* * *

Chris held the bag as steadily as possible; however, Andy's hard right jab was making the scenario more difficult  
by the minute. She took one last hard hit and Chris could feel it resonate in his shoulders.

"Whoa Andy," he murmured, letting go of the bag to rub his right shoulder blade, "What happened today that's got you so riled up?" He blinked and stared at her as she caught her breath and downed water from her reusable bottle.

"You ever have anyone purposely mention things that relate to your relationship, well, personal relationship… just to get under your skin? Like they are enjoying watching your squirm?" Andy sighed, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her brow before she met Chris's eyes.

"Not in particular. I guess I can understand what you mean though; Dov's taken a few shots at my relationship with Denise… especially since I put in for transfer." Chris finished, grabbing his towel off the chair and sitting down to drape it over his shoulders, "Is Cruz that bad?" He prompted without breaking eye contact.

"Who said anything about Marlo?" Andy inquired, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Andy, the crack in your voice when you say her name says it all." Chris offered, giving her a sympathetic smile, "Besides, it's fairly obvious to everyone who works a shift with you two that she's anything but friendly towards you; and it probably only makes matters worse that she's always overly friendly towards Swarek in the same sense." He concluded, breaking it down fairly simply.

"That obvious huh?" Andy sighed, tapping her gloves together eagerly, the rage filling up her chest making her lungs burn and her brow sweat, "I wasn't aware that two days back on the job my personal life could be so transparent to everyone." She finished quietly, managing a quick look at door to make sure they were alone.

"Andy, it's not that your life is transparent. It's just that you and Sam have a past, a complicated one. And you left and it was hard. I'm not sure if it makes you feel better, but I'm fairly certain it was hard on Sam when you left, even he can be a bit transparent at times. But you came back Andy, and now things are different. There is this other person who has a past with Sam, whatever that may be. You just can't let all of this past stuff get in the way of your future—with Sam or otherwise." Chris finished and locked eyes with Andy.

"You know Diaz, you may not be able to take a punch, but you can sure give advice," Andy smiled and took hold of the bag, "You want to hit or what?"

Chris smiled and stood, widening his stance and preparing to deliver a solid hit to knock Andy's words on their ass, "Well, I can't be good at everything—with these looks? It would just be unfair," He chimed and landed a solid right hook on the bag, but Andy didn't flinch. She was strong and her obsession with fitness had deepened since she'd been gone.

She had since relaxed her regime a bit, but was still feeling on top of her game.

"Speaking of good looks how is your boy?" Andy asked gently, not sure if the subject of Christian was a big topic with Chris right now. She remembered their last conversation and knew he wasn't exactly feeling cheery about the whole situation.

Chris faltered but replied, "He's good. I wish I could say the same for me and Denise," he gave another hit, but this one fell softer on the bag, "I think we're pretty much done." He finished a look of dismay crossing his face, but only briefly.

"Oh—uh, I'm sorry man," Andy offered, "I didn't mean to bring it up if you don't want to talk about it."

Chris gave a small smile, "It's not that big a deal. We didn't have Christian together like a normal couple. She kept him and didn't tell me. We were over and she just appeared in my life, like a blast from the past you know?" He muttered, "She hasn't even been back to see me in 4 weeks."

"Chris, you're a good man. If Denise can't acknowledge that, that's her problem," Andy added, "And Christian is lucky to have you as a Dad. You just need to do what is best for your son and you. If that means being in his life as much as possible without being with Denise, then you need to do that."

"You know—my parents, they've been together for 40 years," Chris replied softly, "They met in high school. 40 years Andy… what if Christian suffers because I can't make it work with her?" He asked quietly.

"He could never suffer if you're his Dad," Andy affirmed, "If anything, he was suffering before not having you. Denise is responsible for that, but only you can be responsible for how you handle your relationship with Christian now."

Chris paused for a moment before resuming his stance and raising his glove to tap the bag towards Andy. She resumed her holding position as he lines up his hit, "You're right McNally. I just hope I can be half that Father mine is."

Andy gritted her teeth and braced herself for his left hook.

* * *

Andy stood motionless in the shower, letting the hot water cascade down her face and neck, streaming down her stomach and legs before slapping the tiles of her shower floor lightly. She rubbed her eyes and leant farther into the stream of falling water enjoying the pressure of the tiny beads of dew hitting her skin, pulsing across her forehead and cheeks.

It felt like nothing at first, but she relaxed as she felt a hand touch her waist; then an arm snake around her midsection, pulling her tight against a strong lean body that feels good against her soft skin.

"Tough day McNally?" Sam whispered in her ear, he's so close she can feel his lips brush against her lobe and then her jaw as his words turn into soft kisses.

"It was okay," she sighed, "My partner was just a little tough on me," she finished; leaning into his kisses and reaching for his other arm so she could deepen his embrace around her, "But this is making the experience worth my while." She purred quietly.

Suddenly Sam stiffened, but not in the way Andy had hoped, she felt him pull back from her slightly.

"Sam?" she asked, turning to face him and feeling the beads of water hit her back, steam rising in the small alcove.

"Why would Marlo give you a hard time?" He asked honestly, seeming deeply concerned, "You two having issues _already_? It's only your second shift back Andy." He finished, worry deepening his frown.

"She wasn't necessarily giving me a hard time—"Andy began, "She just seemed to be playing on my weaknesses today, it felt like she was testing my boundaries."

"What boundaries? You two barely know each other—Marlo is a great cop. You're a good cop, what issues could you guys have?" He locked eyes with her and brushed a thumb across her jaw lightly.

Andy couldn't help but be stung by his words. She knew he was honestly clueless about her day, how could he know? But it didn't change the fact that she felt he was siding with the enemy—in this case, Marlo Cruz.

"And I'm somehow a lesser cop Sam?" Andy interjected, moving to avoid his touch, "Just so you're aware, she was pushing boundaries with me professionally—and she was using you to do just that."

"C'mon Andy," Sam sighed, "It's not exactly top secret that we're together and that we have been in the past," He reached for her and began rubbing the soap in soft circles around her lower back, "She was probably just razzing you because she's territorial. Cruz always has been—always will be—a cop that needs to assert dominance in a partnership. Don't take it personally." He finished as he began to travel farther down her back side, reaching the cleft of her buttocks.

Andy withdrew further into the water and rinsed the soap from her body, avoiding Sam's touch.

"I don't care if she pee's on her belongings to ward off other officers," Andy remarked snidely, not enjoying his use of the word dominance—as if Marlo had dominated other officers in her time, potentially Sam—or the fact that he seemed to accept this behavior from Marlo.

"Her making comments about you—our relationship or any relationship that she thinks we may have is not acceptable or professional during a shift." Andy finished sharply, "We're not talking about Traci or Oliver here."

Her words stung a bit, but Sam could tell that something had struck a nerve with Andy, and he wasn't helping the situation with his comment about dominance.

"Andy—"he started, "Listen, I don't care who knows we're together or what they think of our relationship," he turned her gently to face him, propping her chin up so he could gaze into her eyes.

"I just want to be with you. I just want to make this work." He finished, his expression waiting for her approval.

Andy's stomach fluttered. She believed him, but she couldn't explain her utter distaste for Marlo in that moment. She was trying desperately to fit back into her life and resume her job—but she couldn't shake the awful sense of foreboding. Like something wasn't quite right yet.

She sighed and tilted her face to rub the tip of her nose against Sam's. Her smile widened as he leaned in for a soft kiss.

The kiss deepened and she felt the heat of the shower running hot against her skin.

Sam reached his hands through her hair, pulling her closer to his body—she could feel every inch of him stiffen and her hips pulsed with desire.

"_Screw Marlo_" she thought to herself, opening her mouth to invite him in. His tongue was warm against hers and she relaxed as he shifted his legs and wrapped his arms around her buttocks to lift her into a familiar position.

She grasped his neck firmly as he shifted his weight to lift her higher around his hips, her legs finding their way to his waist easily and attaching there securely. She felt him enter instantly, no hesitation on her part as she leaned back and gasped at the feeling. He filled her completely, leaving no room for thought of Marlo or anything else that had been troubling Andy during the day.

"Sam—"she gasped, "Uh, oh… god—"she sighed, "Don't stop… please." She moaned quietly.

His response was to pick up his pace as he planted her back firmly against the shower wall. The tiles felt cold against her back, somehow enhancing how hot his skin felt next to hers; the friction between them like molten lava.

"Andy," he gasped, thrusting deep in between her thighs, "Oh—I'm close." He cried out.

That's all it took. Andy was soaring over the edge, her thighs clasping hard around his waist as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.

Minutes later she felt his finish as he collapsed against her, nestling his head between her neck and jaw, breath raw against her flesh.

"Feeling better?" He murmured quietly, the water turning cold against her skin, her shivers comforted by Sam turning off the water and gently removing her legs from his hips.

Andy paused thoughtfully before replying, "Well—if we get to do that every time I have a bad day, I may have nothing but bad days for the rest of week." She smiled up at him as he laughed, handing her a towel from the rack.

"So I should tell Marlo to keep being a bossy partner?" He teased, wrapping his own towel around his waist.

She bristled a bit panicked at the thought of Sam conveying their conversation to Marlo, "You shouldn't tell her anything Sam," she replied urgently, "This is between you and I."

He nodded, "Of course McNally," he finished and smiled up at her, but she wasn't quite sure she believed his statement.

She knew Sam had a knack for protecting her—even in situations she knew she could handle on her own.


	6. Chapter 6: All That We've Left Behind

Firstly, thank you for all the great feedback and reviews! I haven't been inspired to stay up late writing every night in a long time! :)

In response to some of the reviews:

My intention isn't to make Marlo the enemy. Through her stance on Andy and Sam's relationship I plan to explain more of her backstory and ultimately she and Andy will not be at odds forever.

As for everyone's desire to see Sam get jealous over Andy: your wish is my command! I delayed this until this chapter because I wanted to give Sam a chance to be himself, but we all know that Sam Swarek has a lot of pride-and we get to see it come out a bit in this chapter. I've also wanted to show him growing as a character emotionally and making smart choices in his relationship with Andy so bare with me.

We will see more realness and I'm striving to keep it as dirty, messy and emotional as it would be on the show/in real life.

Let me know what you think: I love reading your reviews!

* * *

Luke Callaghan rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was too early in the morning and he hadn't slept nearly enough for the coffee machine to be acting up. Pushing the start button for the seventh time he groaned as the light flashed red on the fancy new brewing machine.

"You need to fill the water reservoir," Andy smirked, watching Luke jump at the sound of her voice.

"McNally, you know how to make this thing work?" He bristled, the sight of her still stung at times, but he was beginning to accept that they were friends and would never be anything more—ever again. But being her friend was much better, in Luke's opinion, than the alternative of never speaking to her again.

"Yeah, you lift that plastic—"she began, "Oh, just get out of the way Luke," she sighed and shifted her weight to lean over him and pluck the plastic casing off of the coffee machine. She moved to the sink and popped the top hatch open to refill the reservoir with water.

"You make it look so easy—"he stared, watching the way her shoulders rolled in her uniform. She'd lost weight during the UC task force and he wondered whether it was because she was stressed or because she had nothing better to do than work out. He rubbed his eyes again, forcing himself to remember it wasn't his job to wonder about her anymore. That is Sam Swarek's job.

"Yeah, well, this isn't exactly rocket science you know." She laughed, pushing the casing back into place and hitting the start button, which shone a bright green. The machine whirled to life and began brewing hot coffee into Luke's cup and he gave her a small nod in praise.

"Thank you Andy, my brain appreciates your skills," he gave her a small smile, "You prepared for the meeting this morning?" Luke wasn't sure why in god's name they had scheduled the meeting for 6:00 am and so suddenly, but he had the feeling it wasn't because something went right.

"As prepared as I can be I suppose," Andy muttered, "I mean, they didn't give us any warning or let us know what this meeting is about, so it's kind of hard to prepare." She smiled and pushed the start button, replacing his cup with hers, "I always get worried I'm going to make a big mistake—or that I already have—and that's why they call these meetings." She glanced up at him slightly, a little embarrassed that he knew something so personal about her now, she hadn't thought about it and now she felt silly and like she'd said too much.

"I'll let you in on something McNally," Luke shifted his weight and patted her lightly on the shoulder before brushing a hair out of her eyes, "We all feel that way sometimes. If you didn't, you wouldn't be human," he smiled, tucking the strand behind her ear, "And we all know, robo-cop isn't real."

She bursted out laughing and her anxiety faded. He laughed back and they shared a nice moment, stirring their coffees, his hand on her back, rubbing lightly.

* * *

Sam watched from the doorway, both Andy and Luke were so deep in conversation they hadn't noticed him there. And when Andy had started to laugh at something Luke murmured to her, Sam's skin burned with jealousy.

"You spying on your girl Swarek?"

Marlo's voice jolted Sam back to reality and he swiveled to look at her, "Not at all Cruz," he added, "Just deciding whether I want to have coffee or skip it—you know I've been trying to watch my caffeine intake." He tried to play it off, but she had caught him in the act.

"Whatever you say Sammy-boy," she smiled a big smile, "But from the look on your face, you don't trust her with Callaghan—now why would that be?" She asked coyly, playing into the redness that was seeping into Sam's face.

She knew his pride was his downfall, always had been and always would be. Same old Sam Swarek.

"I trust Andy with my life Marlo," Sam answered, "Her past with Luke means nothing and it's been over for a really long time." He launched off down the hall towards his office, besides not wearing a uniform, being a detective meant he had some privacy in the precinct.

Marlo followed, falling in step, "So there IS a past with Callaghan and your girl." She stated, slightly proud she'd managed to get him to share that little tid-bit with her.

She'd heard rumors around the station about the troubled life of Andy McNally and how she'd managed to snare men around the precinct like an serial killer collected trophies. Marlo had seen many things in her years, but nothing like Sam's situation with Andy. She was fairly certain that she was right about Andy McNally when she pegged her as the desperate ingénue who wooed her men by performing as the classic damsel in distress. It fit—Sam had always had a savior complex.

"Marlo—drop it." Sam ordered, his steps quickening as they neared his office.

"Drop what Sam?" Marlo continued, "I'm just asking. I mean, you saw them in there—I'm not the only one who saw sparks flying, otherwise, you wouldn't be turning red or snapping at me Sammy." She finished just as they reached his door.

His response was to enter and turn to slam the door in her face, but she reached out and braced the frame, pushing back on his attempt.

"Look—I'm sorry okay?" She offered, leaning into the frame and whispering so they wouldn't be over heard, "I didn't mean anything by it. But honestly Sam—how can you trust her? She'd abandoned you twice if what I'm hearing around the station is correct," she muttered and gave him a look of honest concern.

"You don't know anything about her Marlo," Sam prompted, "Or anything about what we've—what I've been through with her." He locked eyes with her and refused to back down.

"Fine." Marlo finished, releasing her hold on the door frame and allowing Sam the space to shut the door if he chose to, "But mark my words Swarek, girl is trouble. And your past is enough of a warning of that. But I'll be around if you need someone to lean on."

With that, she winked at him and sauntered off down the hall in the direction of the locker room.

Sam closed the door tight and moved around to sit down behind his desk. He propped his elbows up on the table and leaned his head in his hands, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His first inclination was to freak out on Andy, but he knew she wouldn't deal with that well. She may be fooling Traci and Chris, but they weren't there when she got up at 3:00 am to lace up her sneakers and run for hours in the wee morning light.

He knew Andy thought he was sleeping, that she barely roused him when she crept out of bed and rummaged in her closet to put on a sweat shirt and head for the door.

It had been two weeks in a row that he'd noticed her absence more and more in the middle of the night. He knew Andy wasn't sleeping, and was slightly relieved she was continuing her sessions with Dr. Lipstien even if it was because Frank Best had mandated it as she continued to ease back into the work force.

He sighed and opened his note book to his pages on witness testimony for the robbery case he and Marlo were working to complete. Marlo had won this round, but Sam wasn't about to take her victory out on Andy—he couldn't risk losing her now, especially after they had just started over again.

* * *

Andy swallowed, trying to relax in Dr. Lipstien's chaise in her office. The Doctor hadn't said anything to her yet, and she'd been sitting in the room for almost 6 minutes. 6 minutes and 39 seconds to be exact.

"So Andy," Lipstien broke the silence, causing Andy to jump slightly and relax immediately after, "I want you to tell me about Detective Callaghan."

"Luke?!" Andy sputtered as she scrambled to an upright position on the chaise, "What—sorry" she apologized for her abruptness, "What could you possibly need or want to know about Luke?" Her stomach felt sick. It had been one thing coming to terms with Melanie's death and preparing to put her killer in jail, but it was whole other scenario talking about Luke. After all—Andy's personal relationships, Luke included, were not part of the case.

"Officer," Lipstien chastised, giving Andy a stern look, "You had a personal relationship—romantic if I've understood correctly—with Detective Callaghan, have you not?" She asked easily.

"Yes—well, I mean—I was romantically linked to Detective Callaghan at one point. But that relationship is long over." Andy answered, not sure if she was somehow being lead into a psychological trap.

"If I understand correctly Andy, you were engaged to the Detective, which is far more than say—being simply romantically involved." Lipstien finished, making a note on her pad.

"We were—we were engaged. I'm not sure what this has to do with Melanie's case or my time spent undercover though." Andy answered honestly. She was so exhausted from being up at 3:00 am and then attending her UC meeting this morning at six am that she doesn't feel like playing games.

"I'd simply like to know what your motivation for accepting the undercover position was officer McNally," Dr. Lipstien continued, "Part of my job is to assess whether you will be able to withstand the defence's tactics in discrediting the work you've done as a UC cop. You must remember officer, if I can find out about your previous relationship with Detective Callaghan, they will too—quite easily." She finished, making Andy's stomach tighten with knots thinking of the gruesome scenario where a defense lawyer lays her embarrassing personal past with Luke Callaghan out for the entire courtroom to see. Media—the judge—Melanie's family; they would all know that she had trusted him and he had tossed her away for a fling with his ex.

"If you're wondering if I took the UC work to be close to Luke again, you're wrong. In fact—you couldn't be farther from the truth." Andy closed her eyes, waiting for the muscles in her stomach to relax.

"Then why did you take the undercover position if not to regain favor with Detective Callaghan?" She mused, tapping her pen against her pad quietly.

Andy sighed, "This is going to sound incredibly stupid I'm sure—a professional like you has probably never felt the way I felt when I went into Luke's office that morning." She blushed and pushed on, "I'd just had my relationship with Sam end—" she gulped lightly, "And I'd been working out in the weight room, you know, doing pull ups, the usual—when it just hit me," Andy paused for a moment.

"What hit you?" Dr. Lipstien probed.

"I'd spent 6 weeks crying and leaving voicemails, trying to reach out to Sam after Jerry died. It just finally hit me—this is my life," Andy closed her eyes and brushed her hair off her forehead, "And I just realized—I didn't want to be _'that girl'_ anymore." She finished, opening her eyes and looking at Dr. Lipstien.

"I don't follow—_what girl_ Andy?" Lipstien asked quizzically.

"That girl who gives up what's important to her just because she's too busy being sad about a man who decided to leave her behind." Andy replies, refusing to break eye contact. She may be embarassed by her past at times, but her pain over Sam was nothing to be ashamed off anymore.

"I didn't take the undercover position to be with Luke—in fact, I didn't take it to be with anyone but myself." She continues thoughtfully, "I asked for it. I asked Luke to take me above everyone else because I needed to refocus. I got into this line of work to help people. I'm a good cop Dr. Lipstien," she shrugs, "And Luke chose me. I guess he saw something in me that could help the case. Or maybe he saw something in me that needed a rebirth. You'll have to ask him." She glanced down at her hands briefly before adding, "Besides, I barely saw Luke while I was working UC—I had a different contact person and he wasn't given my number. It's protocol."

"I'm aware of protocol officer, " Dr. Lipstien replied, before pausing to look at her wall clock, "Well—that's all we have time for today. I'll see you Thursday for our regular appointment." She conceded, closing her pad and clipping her pen to the top.

Andy hesitated, "Doctor, how long am I going to have to keep these appointments?" Andy asked hopefully.

"As long as it takes officer."

* * *

Marlo pushed the bar up as she breathed out with a gust of tired breath. She wiped her sweat drenched brow with her work out towel and glanced around the precinct work out room. She'd been lifting weights for the past hour, uninterrupted.

Usually she worked out alone—so it's no surprise that no one is around, and it's not like it bothers her. She'd always been the lone wolf type, even in her job duties.

When she'd left 15 Division 8 years ago she had been glad to move on to more exciting work. Things hadn't gone the way she'd planned here at 15, and she'd known it was time to get the hell out of dodge.

She'd applied to The Bureau of International Investigations and she'd gotten a position assisting with profiling in the Independant Investigations Unit; she'd found that working alone or in small groups had suited her. In a way, being back at 15 had been culture shock for Marlo, and while she was realizing it now, she had no choice but to work through it.

Being partnered with Andy McNally had been a tribulation she hadn't expected or forseen. When she'd first arrived back to Division 15 she'd heard the words whispered in the locker room about McNally's sudden disappearance two months prior—and the damage it had obviously done to Sam Swarek. On outwards appearance Sam had seemed fine, but Marlo knew him better.

They'd trained at the academy together, suffered in the mud and run the rap together—hell they'd suffered humiliation and broken bones together. Marlo considered Sam a sparring partner and a romantic interest—the flirting had always been palpable.

The trouble was that Sam had considered Marlo his close friend—his best friend in fact, next to Oliver Shaw, whom they both encountered on their first day at 15. Oliver had bonded with both of them easily and quickly and they'd supported each other through their first year as rookie cops—relying on one another to make it through at the most difficult points.

But Marlo had misread the signs. She didn't see it at the time, Sam's honest love for her—love like he had for his sister Sarah and Oliver. She misread it as the kind of love he clearly had with Andy now; which is probably why Marlo can't help but bristle at the sight of her.

When she'd finally confessed her deepest feelings to Sam he was quiet for a long time. Too quiet. She remembers it like it was yesterday…

* * *

_"Sam?" She asked quietly, "Did you hear me? I said—I said I love you." Her voice cracked and she felt like a 15 year old girl confessing a crush—she felt silly._

_"I—I mean, of course I love you too Cruz."_

_She knew it wasn't right as soon as he used her last name instead of whispering "Marlo." She tried to gulp back her tears._

_"I just—I just can't. You know that things between us… I mean, you're my closest friend. What would I do if I lost you? If we lost that?" He offered, but it wasn't enough._

_She felt like she couldn't breathe. _

* * *

Three days later she'd put in for a transfer and been accepted to interview for IIU. She'd called Sam and said goodbye, she could still remember hearing the confusion in his voice, but he'd let her go; telling her to pursue her dreams-that she was a great cop. She knew he'd meant it, which made her heart hurt that much worse. She knew she had to do what was best for her, especially if she was going to let go of her hopes for more with Sam—which in this case meant running away... as far as possible.

Now she was running again. She sighed at the thought but resolved herself to the knowledge.

She couldn't go back to IIU.

Marlo had met Julie Steven's exactly 3 weeks after her IIU orientation. Julie was strong, smart and beautiful—she'd also been heading investigations in the unit for 4 years. Marlo was awe-struck by Julie. She was everything Marlo aspired to be as a cop—a female detective that was both respected and highly recommended by her peers. She had decided immediately that she would shadow Julie. She wanted to learn the ropes and grow into a position of power at IIU just like Julie had.

What she hadn't expected was to fall in love with Investigator Stevens.

Marlo had always known she was different from other girls growing up. She ran faster, played harder and noticed the smallest things about other girls in her peer group. In a way, she was born to be a cop—but she'd also been born bi-sexual. Marlo hadn't truly accepted the idea until she'd met Julie. Even in the early stages she'd pretended the feelings weren't real; that her and Julie were simply bonding because they were working so closely together so often. She hadn't mean to choose Julie just like she hadn't meant to choose Sam all those years ago—but regardless of her good intentions both relationships or lack thereof, had been the reason for her departure from her respected positions.

Marlo sighed as she pulled herself up, raising her chin to the top of bar and grunting at the exertion. She'd managed not to think of Julie for 2 weeks, but that scene with Sam this morning—his obvious jealousy over Andy and Detective Callaghan—had brought the memories rushing back to her.

She landed on the weight room floor softly and snatched her towel off of the bench beside the dumbbells. She wiped the bar and then settled on the bench to untie the laces of her sneakers.

That was enough for one day. She racked her brain fighting off the truth with all her might—it didn't matter how many pull ups or crunches she managed in a day, she couldn't work off what had happened between her and Julie.

But she might be able to fix her position with Sam.

And she'd be damned, but she had to try.


	7. Chapter 7: The Ties That Bind

Thanks so much for the reviews guys, this chapter is a longer one, but I get to have some fun with the characters and add some drama plus the entrance of another character.

Looking forward to your feedback, let me know what you think?

* * *

The sound of the basketball slapping the gym floor had always been a comforting sound to Andy.

As long as she can remember, she felt at home on the court and had spent countless hours a child shooting hoops in the driveway and traveling long hours by bus to face off against opposing teams during elementary and high school. The game has given her solace and she'd always turned to it when she needed to sort something out in her head.

"I can't believe you're kickin' my ass Andy," Nick chuckled as he wiped sweat from his brow with the hem of his t-shirt, "I should have guessed there was a reason why Diaz is afraid to play you." He smiled, bracing himself and lowering his body into a stance that would allow him maximum advantage to block her shot.

"Diaz isn't as good as you, though you didn't hear it from me." Andy winked and dodged past him easily, shooting the ball and relaxing into an easy lay-up. Nick had spent plenty of time on the court and for the most part he was a challenge for her, but she knew she had this one in the bag.

"How are things with you and Gail?" Andy asked nimbly, hoping to distract Nick from the pain of her impending win.

"I don't know. It seems to depend on the day, and whether or not she's interested in letting me in or pushing me out," Nick added, "It's tough with her, but I suppose that's part of what allured me to her in the first place…" he hesitated—"I've always liked a challenge."

"Well, if I know Gail," Andy laughed as she shot the ball past him, scoring three points, "You've got your work cut out for you—nothing short of a challenge." She smiled a sympathetic smile. She felt sorry that her friend was having such a hard time when she'd just eased right back into her relationship with Sam. Albeit, it had taken some time and gentle coaxing, but now she felt like they were back where she should have been after Jerry's untimely death.

"Yeah—well, I made my bed I guess," Nick dribbled the ball after catching her rebound, taking it straight to the hoop, "I mean, I care a lot about her Andy—I do," he paused thoughtfully for a moment, "But I can't keep doing this forever. She's either going to accept that me leaving had nothing to do with her and move past this… or I'm going to have to move past her." He affirmed, turning to face Andy with a sharp look in his eye.

"Nick," Andy hesitated, before snatching the ball easily out of his dribble and moving past his right side, she paused to shoot the ball before turning back to face him, "You know I got your back whatever you decide to do. I know these things are not easy or clean." She smiled and passed him the ball, "Your shot buddy."

Nick laughed, dribbling while debating if he should just accept defeat—he was getting pretty tired, "I appreciate the support buddy," he took aim and shot, missing the net widely.

"Time to call it quits Collins?" Andy teased, jogging to retrieve the ball, "This game was over for you eight baskets ago." She laughed as she turned back to him.

Only Nick was no longer standing awaiting her hard pass. He was on his knees, hands at his sides with two armed gunmen on his left and right side; before Andy could react out of shock or otherwise the first gunman took aim and fired, hitting her in the thigh. Andy maneuvered into a controlled drop and slid behind the bleachers of the gym, hoping to obscure herself from view of the gunman. She heard the men shouting at each other, screaming in Spanish, then footsteps bolting for the door followed by a second shot.

Andy panicked, trying to judge whether the shot had gone off in the gym or outside, but the ringing—her ears were ringing and she was finding it difficult to focus with the searing pain in her thigh.

"Please don't let Nick be dead—please." Andy thought, her eyes closed tightly as she crawled on her good side, dragging her injured leg behind her as she reached the edge of the benches; a few more feet and she'd be able to peek out to where Nick was when she last saw him. Assuming he was still there.

Her stomach dropped at the memory of Gail lying bound on the floor of her apartment. She imagined Nick, lying collapsed in some trunk or being hauled off in a van to some abandoned building. She momentarily panicked, envisioning her friend being taken out of her grasp; but she fought back tears as she leaned forward to peer around the corner of the benches.

Nick lay on his side, blood pooling from somewhere underneath him, but she couldn't see where he was injured. She needed to get his cell phone out of his shorts; she cursed herself for leaving hers in her gym bag, which was now locked securely in the change room. She glanced up, looking around the gym for their attackers, afraid to venture out without back up. She steeled herself; Nick was bleeding and she had the sneaking suspicion that she was beginning to bleed out. The shot to her thigh had hit near the inside of her leg and she wasn't sure if she was losing too much blood; but she definitely felt woozy.

"I can do this—I can do this." Andy muttered to herself as she half crawled half drug herself to where Nick was lying near center court. She reached his body and turned him over slowly—luckily the idiots had shot him as they ran or been an incredibly poor shot; he'd taken his bullet in his right shoulder.

She scanned him for any other injuries or bullet wounds, but she was certain she'd only heard one other shot after her initial hit. She found nothing and began searching his pockets until she found his phone and dialed 911 quickly, she was starting to lose focus now—she couldn't remember where she was anymore.

"911, please state your emergency." The operator came on loud and clear over the connection.

"Hello?" Andy started, "I'm Officer Andy McNally—I've been shot and so has my partner we need medical attention immediately. My partner isn't conscious." She nearly shouted into the phone, panic beginning to take over as she lost her train of thought again.

"Where are you?" The operator pressed, talking quickly but clearly.

"I—" Andy stuttered, she couldn't focus her brain anymore, she felt like the world was spinning, "I don't know—the gym—the gym off Fern St." She responded quietly.

"Stay where you are Medics are on their way." The operator sounded far away now—like she was shouting over miles and miles…

Suddenly, everything when black.

* * *

Gail Peck raced through the hospital doors and up towards the Emergency Room check in desk. She shook off her jacket as she ran, and she could feel Marlo Cruz following close with a similar urgency.

Gail had been paired with Marlo many times since Andy and Nick had disappeared for the UC Task Force and she understood why people were uncertain about the new officer. Marlo was experienced; "seasoned" as her father would put it, but Gail had come to appreciate Marlo's silence and tendency to be a straight shooter. You always knew what Marlo wanted, there was never any doubt.

Gail glanced in Marlo's direction as they reached the desk; she had a determined look on her face that was familiar to Gail after 5 months. If Gail had to describe Marlo in one word is was just that: determined. It was just a shame for Andy that Marlo seemed to have set her sights on Sam Swarek. Gail knew this wasn't going to end well no matter what happened… someone would get hurt.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Marlo speak to the nurse, "We're looking for updates on two off duty officers who were admitted with gunshot wounds? One female, Andy McNally and one male, Nick Collins," Marlo concluded with an air of authority. Gail paid close attention; Marlo always got what she wanted, Gail could stand to learn a lot from her though she wouldn't admit it out loud.

"Hmmm…" the nurse paused, flipping through her charts, "Nick Collins is just out of surgery, he's in the recovery unit on floor 3—" the nurse paused again, flipping more pages, "However, Andy McNally is still in surgery. She's lost quite a bit of blood and her bullet wound appears to have damaged a main artery in her leg." She finished, glancing at the officers tentatively.

"Can we see Collins?" Gail interrupted, her emotions getting the best of her.

"What Officer Peck means ma'am," Marlo concedes, "we need to speak to Officer Collins regarding the attack. Clearly we would like to apprehend whoever is responsible for shooting two of our officers as soon as humanly possible. It would be extremely beneficial if we were allowed to wait until either one or both of these officers are able to speak with us. It's very important." Marlo finished, eyeing the nurse and waiting for her response.

"Of course officers," the nurse nodded, "You're welcome to wait on floor three for Mr. Collins to wake up. I can't say exactly when Mrs. McNally will be out of surgery, but I can have the doctor speak with you when he's ready."

"Thank you." Marlo nodded and led Gail by the elbow over to the elevators.

Once the doors shut, Gail leant back against the wall and sighed, "Thank you Marlo—for handling that."

Marlo snarked, "Apparently I'm the only one in this damn precinct that isn't romantically involved with anyone, so I have a feeling I'll be handling a lot more of these situations."

Gail felt her face burn with embarrassment.

Marlo paused, "Relax Peck. That doesn't mean I don't know what it's like," she sighed, "Let's just go check on Collins. I'll handle McNally when she's awake."

"You really want to see Andy alone?" Gail asked quietly, "Do you think that's wise?"

Marlo cocked and eyebrow and glanced directly into Gail's eyes, "I'm doing a job officer, of course I can see her alone; unless you'd like to leave Officer Collins to accompany me?" She finished, looking at Gail expectantly.

"Understood," Gail responded. She'd never been made to feel so small by Marlo before and the feeling is both surprising and unwelcome.

She didn't have long to think about it however, as the elevator door dings for the third floor and Gail picked up her pace heading towards Nick's room.

* * *

The room where Nick lay was very quiet. At first glance, the ghastly glow of his overhead monitoring light gave the room a gravely feel—set Gail on edge, but the second she laid eyes on his face her heart fluttered.

She'd been giving Nick a hard time these past few weeks, playing with his emotions—hot and cold vibes exchanged between them without any explanation. She suddenly felt stupid and small; she couldn't believe how much time was wasted between them playing games. Her eyes burned with regret filled tears. She was so incredibly glad that he hadn't been badly hurt—or worse—killed.

Gail took the chair next to his bedside and carefully wrapped her hands around his. He felt cool to the touch and she could see the fines lines and pallor around his eyes.

"He's going to be fine Peck," Marlo spoke, breaking the silence, "He's lucky and that's all that counts right now."

"I—I know," Gail whispered, "I just can't help thinking about what could have happened."

Marlo paused, straightening her jacket collar, "Perhaps that's not the best use of your time right now. Maybe you should be using that energy to think of what you're going to do next to not waste any more time." She glanced at the ground, clearly uncomfortable with allowing Gail to hear signs of any sentiment in her voice.

"You're right." Gail answered, "I won't be wasting any more time—ever again."

"That's a good plan." Marlo sighed, settling into the chair next to the door.

* * *

Andy awoke to the glare of hospital lights and all she could think about was how dry her mouth was. She licked her lips, trying to retain moisture but her tongue felt like sandpaper. She had no idea how many hours had passed or how long she'd been out for, but her leg felt achey and she felt out of sorts; plus her eyes were refusing to adjust to brightness of this room; wherever she was.

She closed her eyes, the bright lights temporarily disorientated her—she wished it wasn't so bright and she cursed that her eyes were refuting her attempts at adjusting.

"You need anything McNally?" she struggled to place the voice, and groaned inwardly as she realized it belonged to none other than Marlo Cruz.

"Water." She croaked, struggling to open her eyes for a second time.

When her sight finally adjusted she realized she was in a private room in the ICU, and the only person inside it with her was Marlo.

"Where's Sam?" Andy asked quietly, assuming he'd been notified and had rushed to her bedside.

"Working his case files I assume." Marlo responded lightly, as if it wasn't strange at all that he wasn't present in Andy's hospital room.

Andy's heart stung at her words. She tried not to imagine what could possibly be more important than her, what could be keeping Sam at his desk instead of her bedside. Then she realized: Marlo must be keeping him there.

Marlo watched the flicker of pain cross Andy's face and almost felt guilty about with holding the fact that Sam didn't know she was here, that she'd been injured at all—but she'd wanted this time alone with Andy to question her.

Andy watched Marlo cross the room and pour her a glass of water, setting the jug down on the side table near the door.

"Do you want to talk to me about what happened today McNally?" Marlo queried, crossing the room to hand her the water.

Andy took two big swills before responding, "All I can remember is that I was with Nick—we were alone and then suddenly, there were two masked men there, and one of them had a gun." Andy hesitated, remembering the details, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as she replayed the images in her mind—halting on the image of Nick lying unconscious the gymnasium floor.

"Is Nick all right?!" Andy blurted out, like she'd been jolted, "I mean, I don't remember seeing him after I called 9-1-1, the details are still hazy." She finished, placing her water down on the small retractable tray in front of her.

"You probably don't remember seeing him because you blacked out shortly after calling in from blood loss. The medic's found you collapsed on top of Officer Collins bleeding all over him." She let the last of her words sink in—forcing Andy to acknowledge how bad this would look to those who knew about her and Sam.

She'd been found alone with Nick, both of them shot and she'd conveniently managed to black out on top of him.

She groaned inwardly.

"I'd crawled over to Officer Collins because I knew he had his mobile device, and I did not have one." She responded. If Marlo wanted to question her like a suspect she would keep this business.

"I wasn't trying to imply that there was another reason Officer McNally," Marlo softened, her guilt about not notifying Sam about this seeping into her mind, "And to answer your question, Officer Collins is fine. He's recovering on the third floor."

"Then what are you trying to imply exactly Marlo?" Andy broke the code of "professional" by throwing out her first name, "Cause if we're being frank with each other, you haven't been warm towards me or allowed me any of the professional courtesies that you seem to allow everyone else." Andy paused a moment, waiting for Marlo to interject—and when she didn't, she forged on, "I don't know why you hate me so much—but I'm a good cop and I love Sam. No amount of you belittling me and pushing me out as a partner will change these facts." Andy halted, catching her breath. Her head spun and she felt like resting, but not before she got to the bottom of why Marlo had been treating her so poorly.

"Andy—"Marlo paused, and if Andy wasn't mistaken, she actually looked vaguely upset, "I don't hate you." She replied quietly, "But that doesn't mean I think you deserve Sam. Not after what you've done to him." She finished with affirmation.

Andy waited, she was formulating her words—her brain wasn't moving as quickly as usual. She took a deep breath and responded, "That may be so Marlo, but that's not your decision to make—that's Sam's." Andy sighs, "And to be fair—you don't know me or what Sam has done to me in the past. I'm not saying that what I've put him through is fair or right—but we've put each other through things that no one should go through with the person they love." Andy finished, feeling faint. The throbbing in her head was increasing. She wished she could ask Marlo to dim the lights or turn them off, the glare was unbearable.

"Well then," Marlo continued, though her demeanor had softened, "Then let's talk about today. You say there were two men but only one had a gun?" She asked.

"From what I could see—yes. But the second man may have had a gun." Andy prompted, trying to focus her brain to remember the details.

"And you didn't see their faces?"

"They were wearing masks." Andy responded, "But they did speak fluent Spanish. They were yelling at each other before they fired at Nick." Andy explained, racking her brain for anything else useful.

"Well—"Marlo continued, "Clearly they were targeting you two for some reason or another."

"Targeting? Why would you say that?" Andy refused to give in to her body; she was fighting the grogginess with all her might.

"Well let's look at the facts McNally," Marlo pulled a chair up beside her bed and sat down to pull out her note pad, "We've got two _off duty _police officers, who just worked a big case involving multiple suspects with multiple charges not to mention the fact that they shot to wound instead of kill." Marlo added, "They could have killed you. Maybe Nick's shot was a fluke—but you, they could have shot you straight in the face. This was a warning in my opinion. They're trying to send a message." She paused thoughtfully, making a few notes before finishing, "The question is—who are they? And who is the message for?"

Andy paused, trying not to feel overwhelmed by the knowledge that someone may have just shot her to send a very serious, very dedicated message.

"So Andy, unless there is something you haven't told us about Project Dakota or your personal life while you were UC—I think it's safe to say that this shooting has something to do with the trial. You know it's only 2 weeks away. They're moving fast with this one." Marlo stops to take a sip of water before setting her glass next to Andy's on the tray.

"There is nothing that was withheld from either one of us—that I can assure you." Andy muttered to Marlo, trying not to take offence that her values and character as a police officer were just called into question, not to mention Nick's.

"I have to ask Andy." Marlo replied, glancing down at her notes.

"Ask what?" Sam Swarek stormed into the room, pretty much flinging the door off of its hinges, "I have some questions I'd like to ask too—like why I wasn't notified that my" he paused, catching his words, "That Andy had been shot and was in surgery." He finished, glaring daggers at Marlo.

Sam had made such a grand entrance that both Andy and Marlo almost missed the timid police officer that followed him into the room, trailing behind him like a dutiful mouse.

"Sam?" Marlo began, "Are you finished? Andy is part of an investigation now—and I had the right to withhold that information from you until I had finished questioning her. That's protocol."

"You had no right Marlo—"he spat, "No right!"

"Guys?" Andy interrupted not sure if she felt like passing out or vomiting or potentially both—morphine did funny things to her, "I don't mean to be distracting, but who is our friend here?" She nodded to the girl in uniform, cowering behind Sam.

"Oh," Sam paused, a smirk forming on his face, "May I introduce to you Sergeant Frank Best's god-daughter—Officer Chloe Price." He smiled a full blown smile, "Our newest rookie."

"Pleased to meet you Chloe," Marlo nodded.

"I wish I could meet you in better circumstances," Andy tried to form a small smile.

"Thank you," Chloe began, "I'm really sorry you got shot."

Andy smiled, trying not to laugh, "Thank you—I think."

The room was filled with tension, regardless of Andy trying to defuse the situation by pointing Chloe out. She sighed, and glanced at Marlo and Sam—their body language mirroring two lions about to go to war over a zebra carcass.

"Chloe? Marlo?" Andy asked quietly, "May I have a few minutes alone with Detective Swarek?"

Marlo sighed, making a loud sound that could only be described as annoyance, "You can have him as long as you want McNally; we're done here." She finished exiting the room and nodding at Chloe to follow her.

Chloe resumed her lost puppy dog stance and trotted after Marlo, shutting the door behind her.

"Andy—"Sam started in, taking Marlo's position at her bedside, "What happened?"

"Sam—I really don't want to relive it right now." Andy reached over for his hand and clenched it tight.

"Jesus Andy—you scared me half to death when I finally heard. Is Collin's all right?" Sam asked in earnest, he wasn't particularly thrilled when he'd heard that Andy had been found collapsed on top of Nick Collins, but he barely knew the guy and from what he understood, he was very close with Andy and has saved her ass in a few situations.

"As far as I know," Andy responded, feeling Sam's hand tighten around hers.

He leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. He stroked her face softly and planted a kiss on her forehead before burying his head in the nook of arm.

"Sam—"she started, "Hey look, I'm fine! Just a little beat up, but I'm going to be fine." Andy reached over and stroked his hair.

"I know—I just—I mean, did you hear that Marlo thinks you were targeted? This could be a huge issue Andy; we may have to place you and Collins in protective custody." He raised his head slightly to look up at her.

"Then we'll deal with that when the evidence doesn't refute it." Andy finished, feeling like vomiting again, "But Sam, I really need to rest. Can you please try and make sure they hold anything else for me until tomorrow? I'm beat." Andy asked, trying not to show how ill she felt.

"Of course McNally, you know I'm always here when it counts." Sam responded by kissing the palm of her hand, "I'll be right here with you."

* * *

Chloe Price followed Officer Marlo Cruz down the hall at speeds that must have appeared like sprinting to the hospital staff and patients. This was only her first day on the job and she'd spent it running after senior officers and detectives all day. She was starting to wonder if she'd actually get the chance to do anything that even vaguely resembled police work—so far all she'd done was take notes and fetch coffee for Detective Swarek and Officer Shaw.

"Chloe right?" Marlo asked over her shoulder as they rounded the bend heading for the elevators.

"Yes ma'am." Chloe responded, trying not to sound winded from the pace Marlo had set.

"Firstly, Chloe, don't call me ma'am. You may call me officer. Secondly, I want you to head back to the barn and give these notes to Officer Dov Epstein. He's in booking today and he knows where to file them for me. Is that clear?" Marlo asked sternly.

Chloe stumbled upon hearing Dov's name, nearly tripping and falling head first into the elevator doors.

She tried not to show emotion, but hearing his name shocked her and made her apprehensive to go back to booking. She hadn't expected to ever see Dov Epstein again. Like—ever, ever again.

"Chloe?" Marlo snapped her back into reality, "Did you understand my instructions?"

"Yes ma'—I mean, officer." She responded, taking the notes Marlo was holding out to her, "I understand loud and clear."

"Good," Marlo added, "Don't mess this up Officer Price."

"I won't." She responded as the elevator doors slid closed.


	8. Chapter 8: I Get By With A Little Help

Thank you for all the great feedback! I've been editing and making sure that I try to catch any errors before these go out-but sometimes my time is limited and I miss stuff. (I'm human too!)

I'm really enjoying bringing in existing characters and tying them to the new ones so I'd love feedback on what you think. The Sam-Marlo-Andy triangle is nearing a breaking point-this I promise you, have patience with me!

I've given you some juicy Dov back story to make up for the process. It will be worth it!

Enjoy!

* * *

Dov Epstein had been having a bad day. It had all started with managing to make himself late for parade, which had landed him in his least favorite place in the station; booking.

He's spent the whole morning booking a few 'drunk and disorderly' guys who hadn't stopped drinking at last call and the rest of the afternoon catching up Noelle and Marlo's notes from a few current cases. He hated booking. It made him anxious and fidgety and provided him with a prolonged sense of uselessness. He understood that booking was a necessary part of the job, but he just didn't feel he was cut out for this type of 'necessary' job.

He'd rather be out there catching the bad guys. Like the ones who'd shot Nick Collins and Andy McNally.

He felt sick at the thought; he knew that both officers were in recovery with mostly minor injuries; McNally's being more severe than Nicks, but it didn't change the fact that two of the officers he works the streets with had almost been killed.

He'd cornered Luke Callaghan when he'd watched Sam Swarek flying through the halls of the precinct rushing to get to the hospital, Oliver Shaw flitting around him with worry and obvious concern.

Luke looked sick with worry when he'd explained that Nick and Andy appeared to have been targeted in a vicious attack; both officers were in the hospital, Andy in critical condition.

Dov had been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on typing Noelle's notes since then. He shifted in his seat and turned to observe the wall clock hanging in the barren room used for booking Toronto's dumb and depraved. It was only 8:00 pm and he sighed, another two hours before his shift was over and he could head to the penny and hopefully hear more about Andy and Nick's conditions.

He considered visiting the hospital; but he'd never been particularly close to Nick and he knew Swarek would be hogging Andy for the remaining hours she was permitted to be awake. He decided he'd swing by the hospital tomorrow morning and drop off flowers before he came in for shift.

He closed his eyes and rubbed them tiredly, dreading returning to the work at hand. He almost didn't hear the door open quietly, but the squeak of the return swing couldn't be missed; Dov prided himself on his 'copper' senses.

He glanced up and was shocked to see Chloe Price entering booking sheepishly.

"Chloe?" Dov asked quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Chloe paused, her face turning a slight shade of pink, "I—uh work here," she replied, pointing up and down to her uniform; which looked like it had just been cleaned and pressed this morning.

"Here? As in this division?" Dov responded—he hadn't meant to sound so squeaky but his voice cracked as he realized the obvious issue in front of him.

"Yes—this division. I didn't realize they'd place me here and before I knew it-well, then it was too late."

Dov suddenly realized that she was embarrassed and he sat up straighter, fidgeting with his collar for a moment, "Well that's fine. We can handle this like adults. No reason to be upset at all." He nodded at her and gave a small smile. He really hadn't expected to see her again—ever. To say this was a shock was an understatement and he was unprepared for the memories that came rushing back to him as he watched her riffle through her bag; a long strand of hair falling into her eyes as she searched for whatever it was that she'd come for.

He blinked and suddenly he was back in the bar that night.

* * *

_"Rookies—get out of the cuffs by any means necessary—and we mean ANY means and you drink for free! You have one minute…GO!"_

_Dov smiled as Oliver Shaw shouted out the familiar instructions to the new rookies that would be separated between Division's 15, 27 and 32. He watched as the 6 officers struggled to get out of their cuffs, but he took special notice of a petite brunette who seemed to be faring better than the others. She'd stepped through her cuffs and was unlocking the cuffs by holding the key with her tongue._

_Sure enough, she won the challenge._

_Chris smiled at Dov, "You got a little crush buddy?" nudging him with his elbow._

_"Maybe—" Dov started to reply, "Did you see what she did with her tongue? And she's cute."_

_"And—"Chris whispered, "She may end up working at our division. Perfect!" He winked at Dov and added, "I'll be over there with Gail and Traci—come find me when you're ready to get out of here."_

_"Don't count on it buddy, I may have other plans!" Dov laughed and headed over to congratulate the winner of the rookie challenge._

* * *

"Dov?" Chloe repeated, snapping him out of his memories. It was his turn to blush as he responded, "Yes—sorry, what was that?"

"I have these notes from Marlo—she asked me to make sure they got to you. She was very specific." Chloe answered, he couldn't help noticing she appeared very anxious at the thought of Marlo.

Marlo seemed to be having this effect on the other officers around here.

"Sure—did she say what this was for Chloe? It's useless to me if I don't know which case it's from or if I need to file it or put it on her desk when I'm done." He ruffled his hands through his hair and Chloe watched with a twinge of sadness. She didn't like to admit it—but she had really had fun with Dov and part of her was sad that she'd left things the way she did.

"No." Chloe responded, she was starting to panic, Marlo had been specific about not screwing this up, and it was her first day on the job, "She didn't tell me… oh god Dov, is it on the notes somewhere? She was very stern about these going to you, I just assumed you would know!"

Dov watched her in panic mode. Sometimes you could learn a lot about someone when they were panicking, but so far all he'd learned was that Chloe Price was still cute and he was feeling the urge to protect her in her blunder.

"I'll have a look. It's not a big deal, but next time—make sure you ask her before taking notes like these again. This could have ended really badly." Dov added—remembering the time they misfiled a detective's notes on a homicide case heading to trial and spent a full day sifting through the filing cabinets until they found them.

"I will—of course; thank you." She responded quickly, "I realize it was a mistake."

"Don't worry Chloe—we all make them." He gave her a small smile and gently reached to accept the notes from her hands.

Her grasp was light and he hadn't intended to brush her finger tips with his as he lifted the sheets, but he felt them nonetheless. Her skin felt warm and pleasant; and as she released the notes he blinked and suddenly she was turning to head out the same way she'd entered.

"Chloe?" He nearly choked as he rushed the words out of his mouth.

She swivelled to look at him, "Yes?" her eyes wide and he thought he almost detected a small hint of hope in them.

He swallowed hard and shook his head lightly, "Good luck—you know, with the new job and all. I—I guess I'll see you around."

She smiled a small smile; with a hint of sadness, "Yeah, thanks."

He watched the door swing shut behind her.

* * *

Marlo Cruz sat in the corner of the waiting room writing furiously in her notebook. She'd sent her important notes on the last case she'd been working; before Collin's and McNally had been shot, to Dov by means of the new rookie, Chloe. She hoped that they'd gotten to him without a problem, but chuckled to herself as she thought of how she hadn't given Chloe any of the case file numbers. She'd have to learn how to do this job somehow, and Marlo enjoyed giving crash course lessons.

She wasn't a complete jerk though, she'd made sure that the notes where labeled with the case file numbers for Dov to find once he started sifting through everything to sort it. He wasn't the one she was testing—and Chloe had made a very rookie mistake.

She was time-lining the events that had occurred between Andy and Nick that day in her notebook—everything from what they had done that morning to what time they had met up at the gym, up until they'd been attacked… or in Marlo's mind, targeted.

She knew that many officers wouldn't jump to that conclusion; but it was the only one that made any sense.

Why hadn't they killed Andy? Where they that poor of a shot? Marlo couldn't figure out which scenario made the most sense and had been re-tracing it in her notebook for the last two hours. She lingered on the details that Sam had relayed to Marlo about Andy's morning and tried not to feel jealous. Andy had spent her morning with Sam before heading off to meet Officer Collins at the gym and the details that he was obligated to provide her for the investigation made her heart hurt and her face burn with discomfort.

She re-read his notes for a seventh time, recalling their conversation earlier on in the evening:

_"Sam, I need to speak to Andy about her day. I know she needs to rest, but my hands are tied. Unless she was with Nick the entire morning, I need an account of what she was doing before the gym meet." Marlo couldn't look at him. It felt ridiculous to have to ask his permission to interview a victim in a case; but nothing about this case was normal or right._

_Her eyes rested uncomfortably on the table between them. The cafeteria was deserted in the hospital at this late hour, and she watched Sam rub his eyes and pick up the stir stick to swivel it through the semi-warm sludge in his cup._

_"Marlo, I was with her. I'll just tell you about her morning. I'm not waking her; she's just been through surgery. Her health—it has to come first." He glanced at the table before adding, "I realize this isn't the ideal situation for us. I don't enjoy discussing our private life and time together with you…" he finally raised his eyes to meet hers, "I don't want this to bother you Marlo. I respect you."_

_Her heart swelled but she couldn't shake the fact that he had said he respected her; not that he loved her. She had to accept this and she was angry that it had been so many years and she still felt this way when she was put in his company._

_"It's fine Sammy." She smiled weakly, "If you're prepared to go through the morning with me then it is fine. I'll still have to discuss these items with Andy, to verify her story, in the morning."_

_He nodded, running a hand through his thick hair nervously, "Okay, let's get this over with." He sighed and launched into the morning they'd spent. _

_It was an intimate morning, one that Marlo had wished she hadn't had to live through when Sam conveyed the time they spent and how they'd made coffee afterwards and showered together lovingly. Each word was a knife in her gut and each time he tried to skim over a detail that he guessed would hurt her, the blade turned sharply. _

_She knew he was skimming the details and at first it made her angry, but she soon let that slide; she didn't think she would be able to sit through the specifics of how much time he'd spent in the bedroom and shower with Andy that morning. She could only guess how tender he'd been-how much love there was between them. She'd never been on the recieving end of Sam's touch to compare._

_When she had enough to complete her time line of that day Sam stopped. He couldn't look her in the eye; and part of Marlo felt satisfaction that he felt discomfort when he thought he had hurt her. But the pleasure soon faded._

_"I'm sorry we've had to go through this Marlo." Sam spoke after a moment of silence, "I realize that things with us weren't good when you left for IIU—and I shouldn't have taken the cowards way out let you leave without explaining things to you."_

_She could hear the honesty in his voice and her heart buckled—was he going to tell her he'd had feelings back? She could hear something different in his voice as he continued, "I just—things were so different back then; you know? We'd seen some crazy things together and I didn't want to be with anyone after seeing those things. I needed to focus on the job; but then you said you loved me and it scared the crap out of me Mar; I just couldn't. I hope you can understand that." He finished but then thought better of himself, "I hope we can be friends like we used to be." He added quietly._

_She sat, stunned at his revelation. In the moment she was so elated that she skimmed past the fact that he had never admitted that he had loved her back, in fact, he'd never said anything about his feelings at all—but that didn't matter to Marlo. All she heard was that he had been scared. _

_"Me too Sam, I'd really like that." She spoke quietly as she reached across the table and rested her hand on his._

_He gave her a small smile, "You know that part of us being friends again is being kind to Andy right?" _

_There it was—the moment to ruin the moment. She slowly retracted her hand in an effort to seem casual, "I am kind to Andy; but I'm also her superior Sam." She added, "And apparently her T.O trained her question every move I make and become stubborn when she doesn't agree with how I run my cases."_

_He raised his eyebrow and shook his head, "If you're implying that I treated Andy different during her training because I had feelings for her—you're wrong. Andy is a good cop and she investigates a lot details that we older guys wouldn't take the time to. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable Marlo."_

_With that, Sam stood up and exited the room, leaving Marlo stunned; and alone with her thoughts._

* * *

Marlo was snapped back to reality when Gail Peck emerged from the room across the hall from Marlo's seat.

"Nicks asleep." She muttered as she slammed her butt down next to Marlo on the couch, "You get anything from Andy?" she asked quietly.

"No, we'll have to come back in the morning; I've gotten most of the details out of Sam—but I still need her to verify that these events did in fact take place and in that order." She responded, flipping her pad closed and clipping her pen to the top. She brushed a stray hair out of her eyes and sighed loudly, "You ready to get out of her Peck?"

"Yes, I'll check on Nick when we come back in the morning. There's nothing more I can do here." She finished, silently glad that Marlo wanted to leave. Hospitals freaked Gail out and she wasn't especially fond of the recovery ward. She'd spent quite a bit of time up here after her kidnapping.

"Let's get the hell out of dodge then." Marlo smiled and stood up, motioning for Gail to follow her.

* * *

Chris Diaz breathed heavily through his nose as he dropped to the floor for his tenth push up. The precinct gym was barren tonight and when he'd come in to blow off some steam after another eventful night working the front desk, he had half way expected it to be packed.

Then he remembered that Andy and Nick had been shot today; and the majority of the officers on shift were working O.T to find the shooters.

He'd already been on shift for 15 hours and wasn't cleared to work anymore than that; so he'd come in here to blow off his excess adrenaline. Visiting hours in the ICU were over and he knew Sam wouldn't let him see Andy until the morning.

He felt the sweat drip on his brow as he heard the door swing open and something (he assumed a duffel bag) drop on the ground near the weights. He glanced up and saw a petite brunette entering the space; trying to untangle her ipod ear buds as she stepped over equipment and moved towards him.

She looked up suddenly and they gazed at each other a moment before Chris smiled and sat up to kneel and offer her his hand.

"Hey, I'm Chris—Chris Diaz. You new around here?" She seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he recognized her from.

His smile was handsome and she noticed he had kind eyes, the type you don't see on many seasoned officers. Chloe smiled back as she responded, momentarily forgetting about her tangled mess, "Hey—yes, I'm Chloe. Chloe Price." She reached out and shook his hand firmly.

"Nice to meet you Chloe," Chris continued, "Did you transfer in? Or are you a new rook?" he asked politely, Chloe couldn't help noticing he didn't demean the word 'rook' and she got the feeling he didn't judge new officers as harshly as the rest of the senior officers.

"I'm new," she responded, her face turning a slight twinge of pink, "It's my first day—well, was my first day. It's been one hell of an experience." She chuckled nervously.

"I bet—" Chris smiled, "I've had some rough days as a rookie—I can relate. I think everyone can." He raised himself off the ground and found a seat on the bench, "How do you like fifteen?" he asked with keen interest, Chloe liked the way his eyes met hers when he spoke, he wasn't ordering her to answer; he was genuinely interested in her thoughts.

"It's been okay. Rough day with those two off duties being shot and all—I spent a lot of time following detectives around today—mostly holding their coffees." She added quietly.

"Yeah—it's been an ordeal; but hey," he added, "It gets better. I promise you."

Chloe blushed; he had the sweetest smile she'd ever seen. She chastised herself silently as she felt the blush spreading to her neck and cheeks, she'd made a silent vow to not get involved with anyone she worked with—and she'd already made a mistake with Dov; she couldn't get involved with another officer, not matter how sweet he was… could she?

They worked out in silence, though Chloe had kept her ipod off in the hopes that Chris would talk to her. He was in the middle of dead lifts and she noticed he was strong—lifting 205 when he probably weighed less than that. She imagined his body naked, she couldn't help it; his chest and back were lithe in their movements and glistening with sweat. She had to shake herself on the treadmill to snap out of her reverie.

She had given up hope he was going to speak to her again when she noticed he was making his way over to her machine.

"Well—"he stared in, "I'm finished for the night. It was nice meeting you Chloe." He smiled and waited for her response.

"Yes—it was nice meeting you. You've renewed my hope that not all of the officers in this precinct are hard asses." She laughed; feeling the blush creeping back up her neck.

"I'll see you around then—keep the hope." He finished, as he turned to walk away.

Chloe panicked. She wanted him to ask her for a drink—a coffee and the sudden realization of this made her practically scream out as she yelped, "Wait! Chris—"

He turned back to her in surprise, "Yeah?" he answered softly.

"Would you like to grab a coffee sometime?" she asked; her face turning the brightest shade of red imaginable causing her to cringe inwardly.

Chris paused before speaking, "Yeah—I'd like that. You off at 6 tomorrow?" he was familiar with the shift changes, his first perk of being front desk for so long.

"Yeah—does six thirty work for you?" she smiled.

"It does. I'll see you then. I park out back." He added, it was his turn to blush.

"Perfect—I'll see you then." She smiled as he nodded and turned to exit, leaving her to internally rejoice as she finished her last ten minutes on the machine.

* * *

Chris exited the building, his duffel bag in tow. He made the short walk to his jeep, unlocking the door and tossing his bag into the back seat. He felt guilty at the sight of the car seat that sat there—a permanent fixture since Denise and Christian had re-entered his life.

He knew Denise was unhappy—it was made worse by the fact that the transfer hadn't gone through yet. She was impatient for him to be home, especially since Christian had to travel back and forth to see Chris and the drive was a little less than two hours each way.

Chris offered to pick him up and drive him back, but Denise insisted on coming dropping him off. This only deepened the tension; seeing each other worsened the situation.

Chris could pretend it hadn't hurt him—and right now, that's what Denise seemed to prefer. He had wanted the transfer to go through quickly, mostly so that he wouldn't have time to doubt his decision and miss his friends. Being on desk duty sucked and the more it was forced on him—the more he resented the transfer process.

This was all made worse by the growing distance between him and Denise. He had expected her to be supportive—in the beginning he was even hoped that if she spent some more time in the city; she might grow to like it—and the transfer would be cancelled.

He sighed, that was wishful thinking. He couldn't have the best of both words and he knew it.

But he also had considered or expected her to react the way she did when the process continued to be delayed. She became distant—almost as if Chris were Christian's babysitter instead of his father. She stopped coming to the city as often and sometimes it was only to drop Christian off—she wouldn't stay.

At first he attributed it to her work—the café couldn't keep giving her time off and the drive was exhausting for her; but as time went on, he realized she just didn't want to be here. He wasn't enough of a reason for her to stay, even for brief periods of time.

It had taken him awhile, but he was coming to the realization that it wasn't going to work out.

He probably shouldn't have accepted the offer of coffee with Chloe—deep down inside he knew it was a bad idea, especially since they worked together and she was new.

But the draw of company, especially when his life of desk duty and fighting the tension between himself and the mother of his child was his daily normality, it was too big to resist.

And even though he knew it was wrong to do it—he was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow night.


	9. Chapter 9: No Love Lost

Sorry for the delayed update guys! Been traveling and trying to find time to write.

No McSwarek in this one, feeling more inspired to give some other characters some play and some closure.

Will be updating more frequently for the next few weeks and developing the storyline further! Longer update soon, promise!

Leave me feedback! I love to hear it, gives me inspiration to write more. :)

* * *

Luke Callaghan sighed loudly as he ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it to look tousled and as sleep deprived as he actually felt. He had stopped to shower in the locker room after a whopping eighteen hours on shift, but he still hadn't gone home to sleep.

He glanced up and took note of how tired Marlo Cruz looked. He tried to do the math; sure that she had been on shift longer than him; but his brain was too hazy from exhaustion. He'd sent Marlo to the hospital to question Andy and Nick about the shooting. He would have went himself, but something about seeing her in the hospital—and dealing with Sam afterwards—he just didn't have the right frame of mind for that right now. He was trying to decide whether or not Marlo's initial hunch was right; were Andy and Nick targeted because of Dakota? Luke tried not to think too much about what that would mean. It would mean that someone on the task force—someone he had worked alongside to place the rookies in deep… they had been paid off. They would have had to supply Andy and Nick's real names and the Division they worked in for this to have been a targeted attack. Not to mention investigating the rookies personal lives. Luke shuddered with the realization that Andy could have been followed for weeks as they established her patterns. The thought made him sick.

Luke really hoped this was an isolated incident. So far, Marlos notes were proving otherwise.

"Do you want to go through these notes for a fourth time Luke?" Marlo asked quietly, she rubbed her wrists and raised her gaze to lock eyes with him, "I don't think either of us needs to relive this a fourth time, do you?" she finished.

"Agreed," Luke responded kindly, he was trying his best not to show that discussing Andy and Sam's private moments from the morning she was shot—strictly because they were valuable for placing a time line—didn't bother him. He knew he was doing poorly. He looked up again and caught her gaze, "Did you love him?" he asked quietly. They were alone; she had no reason to fear her own response.

"Who?" Marlo asked, trying to play dumb. She wasn't sure how Luke knew about her and Sam Swarek; maybe he didn't really know. Maybe people like her and Luke shared a common bond—bound together by mutual rejection of the people they loved and lost.

"You know who." Luke responded, peeling the label off of the bottled water in front of him.

Marlo was quiet a moment. She used to be so sure that she loved Sam. She remembers the feeling she had—how his smile was after they'd done something right during training, the look he would give her when she felt like giving up after a rough day. But she was starting to think that maybe it hadn't been love. Maybe she'd only been infatuated with Sam—loved the idea of him. She sighed, remembering the looks exchanged between him and Andy when they'd met in her hospital room. The look on Andy's face… she has never looked at Sam like that. No matter how much she wanted to resent Andy for the fact that she does, Marlo was having a tough time feeling anger towards her.

"I don't know." Marlo muttered, "I used to think so, but lately—lately I'm not so sure," she paused briefly before asking, "Do you still love her?"

Luke smiled, more to himself than to Marlo, "Not the way I used to," he paused before meeting her stare, "I did love her though. I don't think that ever really goes away—I think it just changes into something different as time passes."

They sat in silence a few more moments.

"You really think this was pre-planned Marlo?" Luke asked picking up his thoughts were he'd left off. The idea still unsettled him, the task force assembled had been minimal outside of himself and a few 'guns and gangs' cops, he'd been working with them to take down the whole gang operation. Human trafficking wasn't large enough in their area to warrant its own crime unit.

"There is nothing to support that it wasn't a failed hit." Marlo sighed, "Andy has no known enemies. Nick has no known enemies. They don't have mutual enemies… but they did just return from working undercover to take down a human trafficking ring that saw the release and deportation of over fifty girls. Not to mention the charges that will be brought against the guys who ran the ring." She paused, "Too me, that sounds like motive."

"I know Marlo… the only trouble is—how did the hit men know Andy and Nick's real identities? And why did they fail in executing them?"

Marlo felt the bile in her stomach churn. It suddenly dawned on her why Luke was pressing her so hard about her theory.

If she was right—they'd had a leak.

* * *

Gail Peck had woken up irritable. She had spent most of the night in a hospital room chair, trying not to nod off—before a hospital employee kindly told her that visiting hours were over and she could return in the morning.

She hadn't wanted to go—but she knew when she glanced a Nick, sound asleep, that he wouldn't miss her while she was gone.

She stormed through the hall way of the hospital on the third floor; she was in her civvies, luckily today happened to be her day off. She halted at the entrance to Nick's room, feeling her heart rate slow even though her palms were slick with sweat. She had so much to say to him still, when he'd woken up briefly last night he hadn't said much. Just smiled at her and relaxed into her embrace. He didn't seem upset or angry to see her, but he'd been so drowsy from the medication that they hadn't really talked about anything except the events surrounding what had happened to him and Andy at the gym.

She felt nervous. It wasn't that she was completely concerned that Nick may hate her after her various attempts at making him feel bad about leaving—at least the part where he didn't try to contact her—she wanted to tell him that she didn't hate him. In fact—Gail was sure she was felt the opposite, she loved Nick. She had just been too busy punishing him to be truthful with herself about it.

But now was the moment. She felt anxious and sweaty about telling him the truth but the alternative of holding off from telling him made her just as sick. She knew it had to be now.

It was make or break time for Gail and Nick's relationship. Sink or swim.

She gathered her breath and turned the corner in his room to find it empty. The bed was unmade and messy, and a tray of non-appetizing hospital food sat on the retractable tray next to the bed.

Gail glanced around the room before she recognized the sound of water running in the adjacent bathroom. She paused, considering her options. Was Nick supposed to be showering? He'd just been shot—I mean, wasn't that not allowed? Then she worried that he was up and about, what if he'd fallen in the shower and was bleeding to death?

She didn't stop to think about how irrational her fear was—she stormed forward and yanked open the bathroom door to see Nick standing in the shower stall—naked. The stall didn't have a curtain in case patients needed to be helped in and out of the shower, and all though the stall was deep to prevent water pouring out onto the floor, Gail could see all of the parts of Nick that were familiar to her.

He glanced up at her, turning so that she caught a view of his bandage; plastic wrapped to prevent water from seeping in and causing infection.

For a moment Gail simply stared at Nick, taking in every inch of his skin; which was now enveloped in steamy rain. She felt her face grow red with embarrassment when Nick broke into a wide smile and spoke.

"Enjoying the view Peck?" he brushed a stray curl of wet hair from his brow absent mindedly.

"I—uh, I'm sorry." Gail stuttered as she averted her gaze to the floor and felt her embarrassment spread to her neck. She was sure she was red as a tomato by now.

"Hey—" Nick began softly, stepping out of the water and grabbing his towel from the rack nearby, "What's the matter?" he finished quietly as he touched her shoulder tenderly, "I was just kidding about the whole view thing."

Gail smiled and looked up into his eyes, "I know you were. I just—I just needed to come and see you. After all of this—"she murmured as her words trailed off…

"Gail—I don't want you to think I need something from you because I was shot." Nick answered quietly, Gail could almost feel the sadness in his words, but she knew he was sincere.

They were quiet a moment, locked in their simple embrace; Nick's hand remaining on her shoulder lightly.

"Nick," Gail started, "I'm not here because you need me—" she sighed lightly and paused, "I'm here because I need you—I need you more than I ever thought I would admit to a single person on this planet." She looked at the floor before adding, "You scared the shit out of me, getting shot like that."

Nick lifted his other hand toward her chin, tilting it upward so he could gaze into her eyes, "I am so glad you said that," he finished before he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Gail leaned into the kiss and felt herself reaching around his back to cling to him. She delicately placed her hands to avoid his bandage, worried that he would aggravate his injury in the heat of the moment.

He didn't seem to feel the same. Nick reached around and leaned Gail slightly towards the wall, pulling at the sleeves of her jean jacket until she was standing in nothing but her tank top and skirt. He pulled back and kissed her shoulder and neck, listening to the sounds she muttered—they drove him crazy with anticipation.

He felt his towel drop from his waist in their movement, but didn't bother to pick it up again. He felt the sting of his wound as he pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. She stood before him in nothing but a skirt and thought excited him—he was sure she could tell.

Gail helped pull her top over her head and stood back a step to observe Nick's body. He was still soaking wet; droplets of water beaded on his skin as they fell from his tangled curls. She felt herself swell with excitement. She hadn't been with anyone in a long time—we're talking almost a year. If she was being honest, well, she hadn't been with anyone since Nick had left. She'd considered it, but always found a reason why the guy she was dating wasn't worthy of her body.

Really—she just missed Nick. Not that she'd ever admit it.

She smoothed her hands over his hip bones and pulled him close to her as she kissed his chest and neck—feeling her way down to where he was most sensitive. She felt him gasp and then relax as she moved in a soft motion. He leaned forward to give her a better advantage and she acknowledged him with a firmer stroke.

"Gail—" he murmured and kissed her neck, "Gail—we're in the hospital." He began to continue, but his words were caught when she lifted her skirt slightly and moved his hands to her hips, utilizing his fingers to bring her panties below their resting spot and closer to the floor.

"So what?" Gail whispered back, "Live a little Collins."

He could feel her smile grow as he accepted the edges of her underwear and moved them below her knees, where they fell to the floor without a sound.

He moved her backward until she reached the wall of the bathroom, where he propped her against the wall and used his good arm to lift her into an accessible position.

"You sure?" He asked quietly, feeling her hot kisses down his neck and shoulder. Her lips felt so good—too good. He could barely stand it, he wanted her right now.

"Yes—I'm so sure." Gail responded, spreading her legs slightly to accommodate him, were he to take the opportunity.

He felt his way in between her thighs, sighing deeply when he felt the crest of her—she was already ready for him. He pushed ahead, the fabric of her skirt shifting up as she leaned back and let out a low moan.

She glanced back and caught a view of his chest, broad and damp from the shower. Even with the dorky plastic wrap around his wounds he still looked incredibly sexy.

She leaned forward and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer—all the way close.

He let out a deep sigh and murmured, "Jesus Gail," as he kissed her passionately again.

She purred and pushed against him harder, feeling the hot curve of his thrusts sending her over the edge.

"Nick—" she whispered, "Oh—oh my god." She finally cried out.

Nick kissed her again to quell her outburst, he was sure they were and the sounds might alert the one of the nurses—and it was not sexy to get caught in the act.

Nick pushed and groaned as Gail leaned back and he soared over the edge. He felt her clenching tightly against his chest and knew she must be there—she had to be. He kissed her again as he leaned into her chest, nestling between her shoulder and neck.

She ran her fingers through his wet hair and murmured in his ear, "You're incredible Nick Collins."

He smiled and gazed up coyly at her, kissing her softly as he brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.

"I—I love you Gail. You know that right?" he finished, his voice cracking as his nerves got the better of him.

She paused as she waited until he met her gaze again, "I know Nick. I love you too."

She sealed it with another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10: What We've Done

Hey ya'll!

Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been traveling and having a bit of writers block. I really got stumped with where I wanted this story to go and I apologize to those of you enjoying Nick/Gail and Chris/Chloe but this chapter is largely McSwarek.

I do promise I've got a bit of plan moving forward, so the updates will be more frequent! Would love some feedback on what you think. Hopefully you enjoy!

* * *

Andy opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust to the brightness of her hospital room. She blinked twice before the figure sitting in the corner of her room came into focus and she weakly sat up in her tiny hospital bed.

She suddenly felt very small as she sat across from the detective she once thought she would marry—had been ready to in fact, until he'd entangled them both in a love triangle.

"Good morning Andy," Luke Callaghan said softly, raising a Styrofoam cup to his mouth and sipping what appeared to be coffee, "How was your sleep?"

Andy paused, taking a moment to look silently for any sign of Sam Swarek in or outside of her room; when she found none a small part of her began to panic—what if they were taking her into protective custody? What if she had to leave again without a goodbye?

She gulped, "I'm fine Luke. What are you doing here? Where is Sam?" her questions came out like pleas, the anxiety in her face straining her pretty features. It saddened Luke to see her look so tired and small in the hospital bed. He still cared for her; regardless of what she thought by now, but he knew it was safer for both of them to leave it buried. If anything, he at least owed her that.

"Sam is at the precinct. I expect he is elbow deep in paperwork since Nash has been carrying his case load for the past two days since you've been here." Luke answered her politely, before getting up and moving his chair to her bedside, "I know you're tired but I need to go through these events with you again. I—I'm missing something Andy. There has to be a link to why these men knew you and Nick—where to find you… I need to figure out why." He glanced at the ground, breathless from whispering to her to abruptly.

"Luke—"Andy started, "I don't know what else to tell you. Two armed men entered the gym. Nick and I were unarmed and alone. The one guy with the red and yellow patch opened fire on me and I managed to roll to safety and came out when I felt they had fled. Nick was shot at closer range than I was, but he is clearly fine." She finished, throwing her hands up before resting her head in them.

"Red and yellow patch?" Luke asked quietly, Andy could see the wheels in his brain turning.

"Yeah—from far away it almost looked like the old unit patch my Dad had from his days in the serial murder investigation team… why? Do you know that patch?" Andy asked quietly.

"Maybe—"Luke started, "Can you sketch it Andy? Like—maybe the rough shapes in the patch?"

"Sure." Andy nodded, picking up the pen and pad beside her bed and beginning to form the circles and outlines she'd viewed. Luke waited silently, trying not to rush her, though his urge to snatch the drawing out of her hands was palpable.

"Here." Andy handed the sketch to him and Luke stared down at the very patch that represented his worst nightmare. His face conveying to Andy that something was terribly wrong—terribly, terribly wrong.

"Luke…" she started, "What is this? What does this mean?" She asked quietly.

"It means you're going into protective custody—you and Nick. We've got a leak." He gazed up and locked eyes with her for the first time in a long time, "This is a fire squad patch—it's given only to members of the police force who've served in the violent crimes division—we're talking serial murders and violent gang units." Luke paused, "To receive one of these patches, and office must have served in any of those units and put away more than 10 violent offenders." He trailed off and glanced down at her sketch again.

"How would a gangster have that patch Luke?" Andy murmured, disillusioned with the entire story.

"Two ways," Luke answered, "He either killed a cop that possessed one and took it as memorabilia or it was a gift to seal a deal… we had two patched officers in our 10 person team." Luke paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, "If we have a leak Andy—this is bad. I need you to go into protective custody."

"I can't just leave Luke! I just got my life back—my apartment, my job…" she trailed off as she looked at him.

"Sam." Luke finished for her, determined not to let the idea faze him in the least, "I understand Andy. I get that this is a lot to ask you, but if you don't go—I'm going to be more focused on keeping you safe than on finding this potential leak and stopping you or the rest of this team from becoming targeted hits." He finished, looking at his hands.

He shifted his arm and propped it on her bedside before taking his hand and placing it on hers silently.

"Andy—please… if you're in danger," he paused before adding, "If Officer Collins is in danger—we can't be expected to focus on our jobs the way we'll need to."

Andy could feel the tears well up behind her eyelids. She felt exhausted, drained. First she'd been under cover for months, worrying about her own life and Nicks, which were always hanging in the balance; not to mention fearing the worst for what was happening back home.

She'd finally started to get her life back and now it was all crashing down around her again.

She felt like she'd hit a wall and she was too exhausted to fight anymore. If only she could just close her eyes and wake up in her life again—that's all she wanted at the moment.

Andy sighed. Her anxiety felt like a quick pulse that was resonating in her left temple and her thoughts shifted back to Sam. Where was Sam? Why didn't he know about this? She had a feeling that this was going to get worse before it got better—but how much worse? She didn't know how much more could she take. She felt thin, like she was stretched to her breaking point.

"I want to see Sam before I go." She replied, refusing to feel pity when she caught the slight glimpse of pain flickering in Luke's eyes.

He had made his bed. She was just sorry she'd ever laid in it.

"I don't know if I can make that happen before we get you out of here Andy." He answered honestly. One call to the PWU and she would be packed and gone in 4 hours.

"Then make it happen Luke, I'm not leaving without a goodbye this time."

He nodded, lifting his hand off of hers before walking quietly from the room. He dialed the number on his cell and got Marlo after two rings.

"Officer Cruz," she answered, sounding preoccupied.

"Marlo? It's Luke," he replied, "I'm calling in The Protective Witness Unit, can you alert Sam that Andy is going to be prepared for departure within the next 4 hours and he needs to get here if he wants to see her before she goes? I'm going to go meet with Collins and call in my supporting evidence. Andy saw a fire squad patch on one of the assailants." He finished quietly.

Marlo paused, taking in all of the information and processing. The patch wasn't a good sign. It meant that either this gang member had killed an honored officer or was partnered with one who was under enough pressure to surrender a patch that meant more to most officers than a promotion or honorable mentions at banquet dinners. This was bad—really bad; and neither scenario that flickered through Marlo's brain sounded pleasant; she couldn't honestly say that she preferred one option to the other, both where undesirable with bad outcomes to say the least.

"Marlo?" Luke snapped, "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes—sorry, I'm here." She answered quietly.

"Will you tell him? I have about 10 calls to make before I can even begin briefing Andy and Officer Collins." He repeated impatiently, "It's important to Andy."

Marlo paused, her brain processing that Andy was leaving again—she would have to leave Sam for the second time.

"I'll tell him." Marlo responded before flipping her phone shut and entering the parade room.

* * *

Chris waited nervously outside the precinct; he checked his watch for the twentieth time in probably 40 seconds. It was five minutes to six, and he was expecting Chloe Price to appear at any moment.

He was nervous, changing his stance and checking his teeth and hair in the window of the prius parked next to him—thank god for tinted windows. As he smoothed a stray strand of hair back into its gentle swoop on the top of his crown he suddenly felt guilty. He'd told Denise that he needed Saturday free to work overtime in preparation for his departure from 15 division—but truly, he'd just wanted to take Chloe out without waking up to drive to meet Denise. He sighed, wishing he didn't feel the anxiety that he now felt creeping up his spine. He missed his son; but he wasn't sure if he could accept that this was going to be his life from now on.

He leaned back against his SUV and closed his eyes, enjoying the evening sunset. Just because he was going for coffee with Chloe didn't mean he was a bad person. Denise was probably having coffee with all sorts of people back home—how could he be sure?

Just as he was about to check his hair again he noticed Chloe exit the precinct doors and scan the lot, her eyes searching until she locked in on Chris standing near the far exit. Her face broke into a wide smile and she waved, banishing all thoughts of guilt and anxiety from Chris's mind.

She strode over and proceeded past him to the passenger door, yanking it open and dropping her bag on the floor inside.

"So, I hope you know a good coffee place—I like my stuff strooong," she laughed and added, "I haven't managed to find a good shop near here so perhaps you can help a girl out."

"Yeah, I—I know a couple good places actually," Chris stammered, "Do you like classic Italian coffee? I know a place that kills it at speciality coffee." He paused to smile, his nerves calmed a bit; Chloe was easy to talk to.

"Heck yes! Let's get this show on the road Diaz!" She hopped in the passenger seat and looked at him expectantly.

Chris nodded before opening his door and climbing in, "Well, you are in for a treat my friend. Stefano's it is." He winked at her and started the engine—he had a feeling this was going to be a good night.

* * *

Sam looked up from his paperwork and watched Marlo Cruz saunter around the precinct outside his office. He could shut his door to keep her feelings out—but he couldn't avoid the view from his glass walls.

He reached over grasped his mug, swishing his luke warm coffee around before taking a sip. He paused, watching Marlo closely, he'd never been able to figure out exactly what had been between them back at the academy, and he hadn't had anything to compare it to until now. He felt the twinge of guilt as she caught his eye from outside his office and smiled a soft smile; Marlo was a good person—and a damn good cop. He just couldn't pretend that she was Andy, no matter how badly he wanted to avoid hurting her.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. He could have admitted that there had been feelings on his end back in those days. He could have told her that she hadn't been crazy all that time—but he knew it wouldn't do her any good to know that now. In fact, Swarek worried it would only fuel the feelings she obviously still had and he'd just finally gotten around to a sense of trust and normalcy with Andy. Marlo revisiting the fall of 1998 was not what he needed right now.

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked at his computer screen. He'd been up to his ears in paperwork, luckily Nash had been kind, although he couldn't expect her to keep this up until Andy was out of the hospital. He'd left a message for her with the nurse so she wouldn't worry when she woke up—he'd be going to see her after he was finished with his current case updates.

He flinched at the sudden knock on his office door.

"Yeah—come in," he growled, looking at his sad cup of coffee and wishing it was hot and fresh.

"Hey," Marlo poked her head in and glanced up at him, "You busy? I have an update."

"Uh, no, if it's important this can wait—come in." Sam replied, waving his arm casually at the chair to the right of his desk.

"Thanks," Marlo entered, pulling the chair forward and plunking down in it.

"So what's the update?" Sam started in, "Which case file are we talking here?"

"Andy's case," Marlo replied quietly, hesitating a moment and refusing to look him in the eye. She suddenly despised the idea of telling him about protective custody—and resented Callaghan with giving her the duty of informing Sam.

"And… ?" Sam tapped his pen on his laptop impatiently, making note of her averted eye contact. Something was bothering Marlo.

"Andy made a rough sketch this morning of an identifying patch on one of the assailants jackets," Marlo sighed, "It has been identified as a fire squad patch." She paused, waiting for the information to weigh itself on Sam. He wouldn't be lost as to what this most likely meant for Andy and for this case.

"Someone gave her up." Sam murmured, Marlo could barely comprehend him.

"That's what Callaghan thinks—yes." Marlo added, "He's prepping her for PWU entry."

"Collins too?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean they'll be inducted together or that they'll see each other during their stay in the safe house network. You know the drill Sammy." Marlo finally locked eyes with him and stayed there, her gaze unwavering.

"Luke also told me to tell you that if you want to see Andy before she goes you need to get to the hospital—asap." She blinked and released her gaze.

"Luke? You guys paling around now Marlo? It's not like you to be on a first name basis with someone who is not a friend." Sam replied, but Marlo could see his jealously glaring green and ugly through his words.

"Let's just say Luke and I have some things in common Sam, he's not so bad." She offered, smirking as she finished.

Sam wasn't fond of Callaghan, but it seemed Callaghan was fond of women Swarek had relationships with.

It didn't help that Sam was feeling irritable with Callaghan due to his suggestion that Andy be safe guarded by PWU either. Swarek and Callaghan just couldn't see eye to eye; and regardless of Sam's opinion, if Luke suggested Andy for intake it couldn't be easily reversed once they started the process.

Sam sighed and replied, "How long do I have?"

"Luke said maximum 4 hours, which was about 40 minutes ago." Marlo smiled, enjoying playing with Detective Callaghan's first name in an effort to incite Sam's protective side again. It was a side she enjoyed immensely.

"Okay, I'm out of here." Sam finished, standing up and grabbing his leather jacket from behind his chair.

"What about your case updates?" Marlo asked, trying not to sound disappointed that he hadn't bit on the use of Luke's name a second time.

"I'll see that they get done, but I need to see Andy. I won't let her leave without a goodbye again," he added as he reached the door, yanking it open.

"Sam—"Marlo started and Swarek paused and looked back at her, "You didn't let her leave last time. She left you."

Sam hesitated before deciding against an argument with Marlo. It wouldn't change her opinion and he was tired of going back and forth with her when he barely knew what she wanted or how he could possibly provide it to her as a friend. The details exhausted him to the point of avoidance, although he felt he couldn't avoid her forever.

He nodded and ducked out of his office, making his way to were the unmarked vehicles were parked and leaving Marlo in his office; alone again with her thoughts.

* * *

Andy watched from her hospital bed as her world exploded around her. Shortly after Luke had finished his calls, which now seemed like hours ago, officers from the Protective Witness Unit had filled the room.

They closed the blinds and cordoned off the corridor that Andy was staying in. Her nurses were restricted to emergency care only—not to mention she felt awkward getting up to go to the bathroom in her 'barely there' hospital gown.

She had asked about Sam several times to which Luke responded, "He's been notified and is probably on the way."

He hadn't been overly reassuring and Andy did not feel assured that Sam would be here before they decided to whisk her off to wherever they planned to hide her. So far she'd heard names like "Regina" and "Ft. McMurray" which scared her immensely. She had kept her brave face on though—always the cop on the outside.

She caught a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Nick being escorted towards her room in civilian clothes. His arm was bandaged and he wore a sling, but other than that he looked fine, Andy sighed, thankful her friend hadn't been more seriously injured than he was.

"Andy," Nick nodded as the two officers walked him into the room and he ignored their offers of a chair in the corner and instead opted to plunk himself down in the chair that Luke had been occupying beside Andy's bed.

"Nick—so glad you're okay." Andy started in, "Did they tell you we're leaving? Are we getting to stay together?"

"I'm not sure," Nick began, "When they arrived Gail was visiting me—obviously I'm not thrilled that this is happening but at least I have the comfort of saying goodbye," he paused for a moment before adding , "I hope we stay together."

"Me too," Andy replied, turning her gaze back to the corridor to watch for Sam.

* * *

Sam felt like things were moving in slow motion when he heard his phone ring inside its holder in the sedan he had commissioned from the precinct. He was not used to wearing civilian clothes and driving a car with limited lights and sirens—all of this made more frustrating by the fact that traffic was at a standstill and he had limited time to reach Andy.

"Swarek," he answered brazenly, hitting his brakes again and coming to a rolling stop.

"Sam? It's Marlo," she rushed on, "The guy you and Nash were trying to nab as a witness in the money laundering case? He's disappeared," she finished.

"Nash can't reach him?" Sam offered, grasping at straws. Nash was a great detective—but some contacts were nervous about making deals with a woman.

"She's tried all three of his numbers and we sent a patrol car by his place—it's been trashed. It looks like he either left in a hurry or didn't leave of his own regard." Marlo replied.

"I'm almost to the hospital," Sam sighed, "Send a squad car past the café where he was doing his bean counting. If we see nothing there, call me back and I'll head out to search a couple of my sources."

"Sam—I think we're past rolling by the café." Marlo replied, irritation seeping into her voice, "I know you're in a tough position but we're cops—you're a detective. You can't let personal stuff interfere with getting this witness. If we wait, he could be dead."

Marlo wasn't wrong.

"I hear you Cruz, I'm going right now." Sam snapped and slammed the phone shut.

Just because Marlo was right didn't mean that Sam had to be nice to her about it.

Clicking the lights and sirens on, Sam pulled a U-turn and swerved through traffic just in time to cut down an alley way and hit up his favorite low-life bar, 'The Alpine."

* * *

Nick watched Andy silently. He'd gotten up only twice during the last two hour period—once to get her a sandwich and once to grab them both water, but he was concerned that she was so anxious about Swarek. He'd seen her handle herself well in light of how she had left things with Sam the last time around, but something about her seemed different this time—she seemed fragile and tired.

"How is she?" Luke leaned over and nodded towards Andy slightly.

"I won't know how to answer that until Sam gets here," Nick replied, "You did call him right? He said he was coming?" Nick whispered; he didn't want Andy to catch their conversation, although she seemed lost in view of the hospital corridor.

"I have confirmation he received the message." Luke responded as he stood up straight, "The rest is up to Swarek."

* * *

Sam leaned forward, not interested in Rogers smell necessarily but in the information he may possess about Sam's potential witness.

"I got nothing Sammy—"Roger drawled, "Your guy went clean off the grid as of last night. All of his contact numbers are no longer in service and he ain't takin' anymore bets or doing any bean counting from what I understand."

Roger was an unsavory character, but he was not a liar. Sam could tell if Roger was screwing him over, but he'd learned not to push when Roger really didn't know something about something.

"Alright," Sam paused, "You hear anything Rog? You get your lips to my ears." Sam finished as he slid a fifty dollar bill into Roger's palm and exited the bar, leaving his half empty beer on the table.

He slammed his keys into the ignition and looked at the dash board clock. He had 40 minutes. Only 40 minutes and his time would be up to catch Andy.

He dialed Marlo as he drove, "Officer Cruz," her voice range over the speaker phone.

"I talked to my guy; he says our witness has been off the grid since last night. No dealings since them, through his telephone lines or otherwise," Sam finished.

"I'll have a squad car swing by the café and send CSU to rope off his apartment—it's officially considered a crime scene." Marlo sounded distant and preoccupied.

"Can you handle this Marlo? Make sure Nash is informed of what's going on. If they've got one witness that means they may be informed of our second. We need to keep them safe—he should be on the move again just in case."

"I'll tell her—she can call you herself if she needs specifics." Marlo replied, he could hear her pen scratching notes in the background.

"Do you got anything else for me Swarek?" Marlo asked quietly.

"No, I'm on route now," he replied, he knew she would pick up on where—it didn't need to be said.

"Go get her tiger." Marlo quipped with a hint of sarcasm before hanging up the line.

* * *

Andy looked at the officers on either side of her and refused to cry. She had no idea where this sadness was coming from—she's sure it had everything to do with how exhausted she felt, but she couldn't afford to break down now.

She tried to lock eyes with Nick for support, but he was trailing behind her with another set of officers; he could walk on his own but both of them remained sandwiched between sets of armed officials.

She gazed at the ground rolling by beneath her, silently grateful that the other officers had about a foot of height on her in the wheelchair. She didn't want them to see her looking so pathetic especially under the circumstances.

She wondered how many of them knew that Sam was supposed to show up and he didn't.

They'd parked the transport van out back, near the emergency room. The loading dock allowed the PWU officers to lift her, wheelchair and all, into the van very easily rather than trying to transfer her repeatedly from chair to vehicle to vehicle to chair. Just the listening to them talk about it sounded annoying.

They rounded the last hallway and caught sight of the van outside, parked, doors opened with armed guards.

The officers halted and prepped her chair to be loaded on the lift—she was not looking forward to feeling so helpless. She glanced back and finally caught sight of Nick; he smiled offering her a nod to reassure her.

The lift itself was easier than she thought, Luke stood by and watched, stepping back every so often to answer a call or text. She smiled bravely when the loaded her into the back and strapped her in tight so the chair wouldn't move. She reached down and locked the wheels, careful not to aggravate her injured leg as she did so.

She watched as one by one the officers and Nick climbed into the van and belted in to the bench directly across from her. They still hadn't said whether or not Nick would be accompanying her or if they'd even see each other for the duration of their intake. She felt unnerved but didn't struggle to hide it. There was no room for weakness now and she chastised herself for letting it show back in the hospital room.

Luke stood outside the doors now and Andy suddenly realized he wasn't coming to wherever they were taking her. She suddenly felt childish for imagining that Luke would be by her side and even sillier was the prospect that she was looking forward to it.

"You're in good hands McNally," Luke started, "Behave. I will be working to make it safe for you to come home."

"You do that," Andy paused, "Make sure—"she hesitated again, averting her eyes in embarrassment. She didn't want to talk about Sam in front of all of the PWU officers. She felt silly enough that Luke had delayed her transport in an effort to wait for him to arrive.

"Yes Andy?" Luke responded.

"Just—get me home Luke." They locked eyes once more before he nodded and began to close the doors.

"Wait!" Nick growled and Luke paused with the second door half open.

Sam was running down the loading dock towards the van.

Luke gazed silently at Andy before reopening the door slowly and stepping aside as Sam jumped the dock and skidded to a halt a few feet from where Andy sat, strapped into the van.

"You leaving without saying goodbye?" Sam smiled as he edged closer to her, careful of his movements in the crowded van. They were not alone and he could feel the eyes watching him.

"Not if you can help it." Andy smiled and gazed up at him.

"Damn straight."

Sam tilted her chin and leaned down for a kiss.


End file.
